The 2023 WEF Community Service Project, titled, “Today’s Water Students, Tomorrow’s Water Leaders,” transformed drainage and flooding issues at O.A. Thorp Scholastic Academy of Chicago. This Chicago public school serves more than 840 students from kindergarten through eighth grade from all over the city, including the south, west, and northwest sides of Chicago.
The project included the complete excavation of an 80-ft by 10-ft structure to a depth of 2 ft to replace clay-filled soil with a sandy soil mix to create a rain garden. Native plants added to the structure will help it treat up to 448,000 gallons per year. It is enough to handle any 100-year flood event and will aid nearby infrastructure to handle storms better.
