Sandy Springs will formally dedicate what it describes as its “first urban stormwater treatment park,” the Marsh Creek Rain Garden Park, intended to reduce flooding, prevent stream bank erosion and improve water quality.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony is set for 11 a.m. Dec. 6 at the park, at 100 Johnson Ferry Road between Sandy Springs Circle and Bonnie Lane/Wright Road.

The $4.6 million project uses a combination of hardscape – rocks, stones and man-made features and softscape — soil and plants, to treat and filter stormwater runoff before it flows into Marsh Creek, a tributary of the Chattahoochee River.

The park includes a permanent pond with fountain, trails, landscaping, benches, educational signage explaining the stormwater treatment process and a bio-retention area with specially selected plants to remove pollutants from runoff. Funding sources included the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Environmental Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

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