Volunteers come together to address runoff issues at Camp Grace in Mobile, Alabama
Members of the Alabama Power Service Organization were among the volunteers who helped install rain barrels at Camp Grace in Mobile. (contributed)
A community project over a year in the making came to a head last month when employees and volunteers from the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (NEP), Alabama Power and United Way of Southwest Alabama joined together to install gutters and rain barrels at Camp Grace in Mobile, Alabama.
“Over a year ago, we were asked to come to Camp Grace to help solve a storm runoff problem, and we brought a group of engineers to the campus to evaluate what the needs were and what we need to do moving forward,” said Roberta Swann, director of the estuary program.
“One of the suggestions for the long term was installation of rain barrels to help mitigate some of the runoff on the rooftops of cabins,” Swann said.
With barrels donated by Greif and its subsidiary Soterra, the project is expected to help capture runoff from the cabin roofs and provide a more controlled way to disperse the water across the property without causing drainage and erosion issues, which also could undermine the structural integrity of the cabins and other buildings. Reducing runoff and erosion also helps protect water quality by allowing for slower, more gradual filtering of rainwater into the ground.
The water captured in the rain barrels, meanwhile, can be used to water plants and gardens on the site during drier times.
Camp Grace provides a place for multiple community organizations and nonprofits in the area to bring children, staff and clients to enjoy the outdoors with no cost to use the facilities.
“A large part of what we do is, during the summers we host various camps for children, whether it be childhood cancer, childhood arthritis, autoimmune issues and diabetes. Throughout the year we host several other groups such as schools, various churches, veterans groups, police departments and more,” said Keith Lee with the Camp Grace maintenance staff.
Lee said several United Way of Southwest Alabama partner agencies use Camp Grace for their clients, which made the project important to that organization. For example, Camp Grace serves as a campsite for Camp Rapahope for area children and families battling cancer, and Camp Smile, which provides a loving camp experience for children and adults with cerebral palsy, along with their siblings.
Jacob Harvey Godwin, a market specialist in Alabama Power’s Mobile Division office, led the volunteer team from the Alabama Power Service Organization that participated in the rain barrel project.
“It’s great to be involved with an organization such as NEP,” Godwin said. “I have enjoyed working on a project that helps in so many different ways. Helping with erosion at Camp Grace, helping people to use rain runoff to create gardens, and helping to prevent pollution in the Three Mile Creek watershed. It’s been a pleasure to work with all the organizations that have participated and I look forward to the next time we get together on this project.”
To learn more about Camp Grace, click here. To learn more about Alabama Power employee and retiree volunteerism, visit powerofgood.com and click on “Volunteers.”
