Growing public rain gardens for flood control. (Photo by Stephen Leithwood)
“What makes this (rain garden) project so exciting is that it brings together community partners, research and volunteers to explore practical, nature-based solutions that can help manage stormwater and build more resilient neighbourhoods.” – Pallvi Arora, Branch Manager for the TD branch on Queen Street, St. Catharines
News from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario
Posted September 25th, 2026 on Niagara At Large
Niagara, Ontario- When Lindsay Taylor (BA ’19) saw an opportunity to help her community, she didn’t hesitate to dig in. Now, her sustainable stormwater management research has grown into a community-powered project creating on-the-ground impact in downtown St. Catharines.
Brock University graduate students, faculty, community partners and supporters gather for a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the Downtown Rain Gardens project in St. Catharines, Ont., on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. The project brings together environmental research, green infrastructure and community collaboration to explore sustainable approaches to urban stormwater management. (Photo by Stephen Leithwood)
The Brock Earth Sciences master’s student gathered with University and community partners to celebrate the official launch of her rain garden study<https://brocku.ca/brock-news/2026/08/community-rain-garden-research-aims-to-reduce-urban-flooding-issues/> during a public event at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (PAC) on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
Rain gardens are shallow, vegetated depressions designed to capture stormwater runoff, giving water more time and space to infiltrate into the soil rather than immediately entering storm sewer systems. Through Taylor’s project, rain gardens have been created on City of St. Catharines property, including the PAC, as well as at Silver Spire Church in downtown St. Catharines.
In addition to a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the green spaces, the event also unveiled Potential, an art installation created by Taylor in collaboration with volunteers from Brock’s Department of Earth Sciences Landscape Hydrology and Restoration Group<https://www.landscapehydrologyandrestorationgroup.ca/>, Niagara Green Herons and Taylor’s husband, Dorian Cannon.
Potential uses a recovered root ball and painted soil profile to reveal the layers usually hidden beneath a rain garden.
“The piece explores the tension between opportunity and unintended consequences,” says Taylor. “It’s a reflection of a lesson applying to environmental work: interventions require careful observation and a willingness to adapt.”
Brock University graduate students, faculty, community partners and supporters gather for a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the Downtown Rain Gardens project in St. Catharines, Ont., on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. The project brings together environmental research, green infrastructure and community collaboration to explore sustainable approaches to urban stormwater management. (Photo by Stephen Leithwood)
A QR code incorporated into Potential allows visitors to learn about the rain garden project and complete a brief survey to help the research team understand public awareness and perceptions of rain gardens.
Under the supervision of Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences Kelly Biagi, Taylor is monitoring rainfall, infiltration, soil moisture, water movement, soil and water chemistry and vegetation establishment under real-world conditions at the rain gardens installed downtown.
“Rain gardens have tremendous potential as a nature-based approach to stormwater management, but we need to better understand how they perform under real-world conditions,” Biagi says.
“Lindsay’s research is helping bridge that gap by generating the field-based evidence municipalities need to make informed decisions about green infrastructure. This project also demonstrates what can be achieved when university research and community partnerships come together.”
The project has been supported by Niagara Community Foundation (NCF) and TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, whose funding helped make installation of the rain gardens possible.
“Today is a beautiful expression of what happens when the community comes together. This summer taught us that flooding impacts us all and so the research will inform municipalities on how to prevent what happened this summer from ever hopefully happening again,” says Bryan Rose, NCF’s Executive Director.
“As many of us know, intense rainfall and flooding have become a growing concern in communities across the region. These events can affect homes, businesses and public spaces, creating real challenges for residents,” says Pallvi Arora, Branch Manager for the TD branch on Queen Street, St. Catharines.
“What makes this project so exciting is that it brings together community partners, research and volunteers to explore practical, nature-based solutions that can help manage stormwater and build more resilient neighbourhoods. We are especially encouraged that the research from this project may provide valuable insights that can help inform future stormwater management approaches for residents and communities beyond St. Catharines.”
Alongside Brock researchers, students and the University’s Facilities Management and Machine Shop teams, the project has also garnered support from the City of St. Catharines, 1st St. Catharines Girl Guides, Meridian Centre, Niagara Artists Centre, Niagara College, Niagara Green Herons, Off Campus Niagara, Silver Spire Church, St. Catharines Downtown Association, the PAC and Walker Industries.
The project has already uncovered an important lesson for Taylor.
“We don’t always have to wait for somebody else to begin,” she says. “We can also look at the place immediately in front of us and ask: What can we do here? Potential exists within us, too — in our curiosity, our willingness to care, our courage to begin and our responsibility to consider what our actions might set in motion.”
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