
Industry professionals, researchers and the public will soon be able to get a firsthand look at the latest in green infrastructure technology with the construction of a green stormwater demonstration site at the UGA Research and Education Garden on the UGA Griffin Campus. A groundbreaking for the site was held on Friday, November 22 with the hope of having several of the demonstration areas completed by the end of the year.
The project is being managed by Rolando Orellana, an urban water management state agent in the UGA Center for Urban Agriculture, and Martin Wunderly, an area water agent for UGA Extension Northeast District. It is being federally funded through the Environmental Protection Division.
“This is a green infrastructure project that will be used as a demonstration site to show what can be done in not only the green industry, but also in personal homes,” said Orellana. “This is something I think is going to be really great.”
Bethany Harris, Director for UGA Center for Urban Agriculture, is thrilled to have the site located at the Griffin campus.
“We are really excited to be able to see the project begin,” said Harris at the groundbreaking ceremony. “When it comes to green infrastructure there are so many benefits and with this being a teaching site, we will be able to share theses techniques with extension personnel as well as homeowners.”
The demonstration site will highlight nine areas of best management practices, allowing visitors to the Garden to see in action how each type works. The areas that will be featured are: a green roof display, rain barrels, pervious paver blocks, grass and gravel grids, a French drain, bioswale, a rain garden, a cistern with prefilter and a dry well. Each site will have a sign with a QR code that when scanned it will take you to an informational site about that particular type of practice.
“We want to have this be a permanent education tool that will be available for extension agents to develop programs and highlight the bigger goals that the Center for Urban Agriculture and UGA have with environmental education,” said Orellana. “It will allow us to educate Georgia citizens on how to incorporate green infrastructure practices into their homes.”

Also speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony was Jeffrey Dean, Assistant Provost and Campus Director for UGA Griffin, who stated he is excited to have everything come to fruition as this was one of the first new projects he heard about when he took the helm of the Griffin campus in January 2023. He noted it fits in perfectly with the strategic plan to not only promote excellence in teaching and learning, but to grow research, innovation and strengthen partnerships with communities throughout the state and around the world.
“I marvel at how everything has come together,” said Dean. “This is right in line with the mission of this campus and what it is all about. I couldn’t be more happy to add this to the mix in the Garden and I invite everyone to come back as frequently as possible to see everything going on here.”
The UGA Research and Education Garden is a 65-acre facility where visitors are able to tour themed gardens, active research areas, view types of turfgrass plots, and a stroll through a growing urban arboretum with many native plants. It is free to visit the Garden which is open to the public weekdays from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. The Garden is located at 129 W. Ellis Road in Griffin, Georgia.