Newest project expands green infrastructure efforts to improve water quality, strengthen community resilience, and provide hands-on environmental education
(NEW HAVEN, CT – July 23, 2026) — Save the Sound is celebrating the completion of a new rain garden installation at Alice Peck School in Hamden, marking another milestone in the organization’s efforts to reduce stormwater pollution and deploy nature-based solutions across Greater New Haven. The Alice Peck rain garden will also serve as a living outdoor classroom, giving students the opportunity to learn firsthand about the water cycle, native plants, pollinators, and the role green infrastructure plays in protecting local waterways.
The new rain garden is one of 45 residential and community rain garden installations completed by Save the Sound in partnership with Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) of New Haven and the Town of Hamden through funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administered by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). The initiative is designed to increase local understanding of alternative approaches to stormwater management and to spearhead the creation of rain gardens across the region to help reduce polluted runoff entering local waterways and Long Island Sound.
“This installation is another example of how communities can work together to protect clean water while creating beautiful, functional spaces,” said Nicole Davis, watersheds project manager at Save the Sound and its Alexander Center for Ecological Action. “What’s especially exciting about this rain garden is that it’s located at a school, where students will be able to see firsthand how green infrastructure works, learn about the connection between stormwater and clean water, and develop an appreciation for the role they can play in protecting the natural environments they experience and interact with every day.”
Rain gardens capture and absorb stormwater where it falls, allowing water to filter naturally into the ground instead of carrying pollutants into nearby rivers, streams, and coastal waters. In addition to improving water quality, these gardens provide attractive landscaping, support pollinators, and help communities become more resilient to increasingly frequent heavy rain events.
The Alice Peck project builds on the success of the Hamden Town Center Park Rain Garden—the largest municipally owned rain garden in Connecticut—which demonstrated the value of green infrastructure as a practical and effective solution for managing stormwater.
Like the Town Center Park project, the Alice Peck rain garden was designed by Hamden Engineering and constructed by the Hamden Public Works Department. The project was identified for the Town through the UConn Stormwater Corps program and illustrates the value of collaboration among municipal partners, universities, and nonprofit organizations to address local environmental challenges.
Save the Sound extends its gratitude to DEEP for its support and to Hamden Engineering, the Hamden Public Works Department, the UConn Stormwater Corps program, and the many volunteers for helping bring the Alice Peck rain garden to life.
