The City of Westerville was recognized as an award recipient at the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission’s (MORPC) fifth-annual Summit on Sustainability and the Environment on October 11. The event featured prominent environmental speakers and a variety of workshops while also recognizing entities that explore green projects.

The City was awarded the Greenways & Water Quality Award along with its partners, the Central Ohio Rain Garden Initiative (CORGI) and The Ohio State University, for the rain garden project in the Brook Run subdivision. The project features 16 residential and five right-of-way rain gardens. The network of rain gardens in this neighborhood is the only project of its kind in Ohio, and the right-of-way rain garden designs are unique nationwide.

The award recognizes leadership and collaboration among the partners involved with this project, as well as its educational value for long-term community impact. More than 80 percent of storm water flow quantity has been reduced in this area, demonstrating measurable environmental benefits.

For more information, please visit www.morpc.org.