DRAFT Mobile Rain

Garden Network:

Evidence-Based

USDA RFSP Grant

ApplicationNorth Star

Group, Inc.

19901 Quail Circle

Fairhope AL 36532

701-770-9118

michaelh@nsgia.com

Mobile Rain Garden Network:

Evidence-Based USDA RFSP Grant

Application

Problem Documentation (Mobile, Alabama)

Flood Challenges (Veriﬁed Sources)

● Mobile receives 66 inches of annual rainfall - making it "one of the wettest cities in the

U.S." (City of Mobile website)

● Regular thunderstorms, tropical depressions, and hurricanes contribute to routine

ﬂooding (City of Mobile Flooding webpage)

● Mobile is designated as "high risk for ﬂooding" by the city itself

● City has areas of persistent poverty and ﬂood vulnerability

Food Insecurity Crisis (Veriﬁed Sources)

Combined Life Settlement Notes - no external credit warrantor

● Alabama is the 5th poorest state in the nation with 14.9% living below poverty line

(Alabama Public Health Dept.)

● 17% of Alabama adults and 23% of children (1 in 4) face food insecurity (Alabama Dept.

of Public Health)

● 1 in 5 children in Alabama face food insecurity (Feeding Alabama)

● Food insecurity grew 44% between 2021-2023 - from 300,000 to nearly 500,000

people (Hunger Free America report)

● 200,000 children were living with food insecurity in Alabama in 2022

● Groceries in food deserts cost 10% more than in suburban areas (USDA)

● Food desert deﬁnition: Urban areas more than 1 mile from supermarket; Rural areas more

than 10 miles

● 2.1 million Americans live in food deserts without vehicle access (USDA)

● 19.1% of Black households and 15.6% of Latino households experience food insecurity

vs. 7.9% for White households

Infrastructure Costs (Veriﬁed Sources)

Traditional Stormwater Solutions

● Alabama's stormwater infrastructure has "signiﬁcantly exceeded its design life"

(Alabama Infrastructure Report Card, ASCE)

● Systems were implemented "without uniform community standards, little accounting

for upstream development" and "no consideration of climate change eﬀects"

● Federal and state funding needed: Over $82 million awarded to Alabama in 2024 for

stormwater infrastructure (EPA)

● Representative costs:

○ Tuscaloosa spent $1.5-4 million on storm pipe repairs from one event (AP News,

2021)

○ Coastal Alabama receiving $30 million for sewer/stormwater improvements (2024)

Rain Garden Alternative Cost-Eﬀectiveness

________________________________________________

19901 Quail Circle

Fairhope AL 36532

701-770-9118

michaelh@nsgia.com

Combined Life Settlement Notes - no external credit warrantor

● Single rain garden can ﬁlter 30,000 gallons of stormwater annually (Seattle 12,000 Rain

Garden Campaign)

● 12,000 rain gardens can absorb 160 million gallons annually

● Rain gardens provide multiple pollutant removal mechanisms including biological

uptake, soil adsorption (Minnesota Stormwater Manual)

● Property value increases of 5-10% near rain gardens documented (Center for

Neighborhood Technology)

Regional Food System Integration

Addressing Dual Crisis: Flooding and Food Insecurity

Your rain garden network directly addresses both documented problems:

● Stormwater management for ﬂood-prone aﬀordable housing

● Food production in food desert/food insecure communities

● Cost savings for families - 600 calories/day/resident reduces grocery expenses

● Healthier food access in communities where healthy food costs more and travels further

Demonstrated Beneﬁts

● Rain gardens complement traditional infrastructure rather than replace it entirely

● Can be integrated with existing drainage systems for overﬂow management

● Native plants provide food production opportunities while managing stormwater

● Supports local food security in ﬂood-prone, low-income communities

● Community gardens bridge the meal gap for those who don't qualify for federal aid but

still face food insecurity

Competitive Grant Application Elements

1. Partnership Structure (Based on Research)

________________________________________________

19901 Quail Circle

Fairhope AL 36532

701-770-9118

michaelh@nsgia.com

Combined Life Settlement Notes - no external credit warrantor

Lead Applicant: Serenity Village (eligible entity as nonproﬁt corporation)

Required Partners:

● City of Mobile (Local Government - eligible partner)

○ Has established stormwater management program under NPDES permit

○ Currently investing in infrastructure improvements

○ Can provide regulatory support and site access

● Mobile County (State/Regional Authority - eligible partner)

○ Operates Phase II MS4 stormwater management program

○ Has stormwater management plan and dedicated staﬀ

○ Contact: stormwater@mobilecountyal.gov

● University of South Alabama (Institution of Higher Education - eligible partner)

○ Can provide engineering expertise and monitoring

○ Graduate student research opportunities

○ Technical validation of designs

● Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (Eligible entity)

○ Expertise in D'Olive Creek watershed restoration (similar local conditions)

○ Documented success reducing sediment loads by 90%

○ Understands local hydrological challenges

2. Technical Documentation

Engineering Speciﬁcations (From Serenity Village White Paper):

● 39-acre site with central drainage pond

● Captures runoﬀ from all impervious surfaces

● Regulated outlets to existing municipal system

● 600 calories/day/resident food production capacity

Validated Calculations:

● Stormwater volume and inﬁltration calculations

________________________________________________

19901 Quail Circle

Fairhope AL 36532

701-770-9118

michaelh@nsgia.com

Combined Life Settlement Notes - no external credit warrantor

● MATLAB modeling for overﬂow scenarios

● Cost comparison: grey vs. green infrastructure

● Economic impact analysis

3. Regional Scalability

Pilot Approach (Evidence-Based):

● Phase 1: Serenity Village demonstration (full documentation) - addresses both ﬂooding

and food insecurity in aﬀordable housing

● Phase 2: 3-5 strategic locations with chronic ﬂooding in food desert areas

● Phase 3: Network of 10+ rain gardens across ﬂood-prone, food insecure communities

Site Selection Criteria (Based on Research):

● Areas with documented ﬂooding frequency

● Communities meeting USDA food desert criteria (>1 mile from supermarket in urban areas)

● Neighborhoods with high food insecurity rates (particularly those exceeding Alabama's

17% adult/23% child average)

● Properties with municipal ownership or partnership potential

● Areas serving vulnerable populations (elderly, children, low-income families)

4. Economic Justiﬁcation

Cost Avoidance:

● Traditional stormwater upgrades: $500,000-2,000,000 per major project

● Rain garden network: $15,000-50,000 per site

● 80-90% cost reduction compared to pipe upgrades

Food Security Beneﬁts:

● 600 calories/day/resident reduces grocery expenses in a state where food costs more in

food deserts

● 25% higher cereal prices in food deserts can be oﬀset by garden production

________________________________________________

19901 Quail Circle

Fairhope AL 36532

701-770-9118

michaelh@nsgia.com

Combined Life Settlement Notes - no external credit warrantor

● Reduces reliance on expensive, less healthy options

● Provides fresh produce access where transportation to grocery stores is limited

Additional Beneﬁts:

● Property value increases (documented)

● Reduced healthcare costs from better nutrition

● Job creation in green infrastructure

● Reduced ﬂood damage claims

5. Compliance with RFSP Criteria

Addresses RFSP Priorities:

● ✓ Uses signiﬁcant non-Federal resources (City/County matching funds)

● ✓ Covers distressed low-income communities (Mobile's ﬂood-prone areas with 14.9%

poverty rate, above national average)

● ✓ Serves food insecure populations (addressing Alabama's 17% adult/23% child food

insecurity rates)

● ✓ Involves multiple entities (municipal partners, research institutions)

Project Type: Implementation & Expansion

● Building on existing stormwater management knowledge

● Expanding proven concept to multiple sites

● Creating regional demonstration network

● Addressing food system gaps in communities that don't qualify for federal nutrition aid

but still experience food insecurity

References and Supporting Documentation

Government Sources

1. City of Mobile Flooding webpage: cityofmobile.org/public-works/resilience/ﬂooding/

________________________________________________

19901 Quail Circle

Fairhope AL 36532

701-770-9118

michaelh@nsgia.com

Combined Life Settlement Notes - no external credit warrantor

2. Mobile County Stormwater Management: mobilecountyal.gov/departments/stormwater/

3. Alabama Infrastructure Report Card (ASCE)

4. EPA funding announcements for Alabama water infrastructure

Food Insecurity Sources

1. Alabama Department of Public Health Food Access data:

alabamapublichealth.gov/npa/food-access.html

2. Feeding America Alabama statistics: feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/alabama

3. Alabama Public Radio "More Alabamians living with food insecurity" (Dec 2023)

4. Hunger Free America report "Hunger is a Political Choice" (2023)

5. USDA Economic Research Service food security statistics

6. Alabama Possible poverty and food insecurity fact sheet (2024)

Technical Sources

1. Minnesota Stormwater Manual (rain garden beneﬁts)

2. EPA Soak Up the Rain resources

3. Seattle 12,000 Rain Garden Campaign analysis

4. Center for Neighborhood Technology property value studies

Mobile Bay Research

1. Mobile Bay National Estuary Program stormwater documentation

2. D'Olive Creek watershed restoration results

3. Sediment load reduction studies

Grant Application Strategy

1. Lead with Problem Severity

● Document Mobile's 66 inches annual rainfall

● Reference city's own designation as "high risk for ﬂooding"

________________________________________________

19901 Quail Circle

Fairhope AL 36532

701-770-9118

michaelh@nsgia.com

Combined Life Settlement Notes - no external credit warrantor

● Connect to food insecurity crisis: 17% adults, 23% children food insecure in Alabama

● Emphasize that food insecurity increased 44% from 2021-2023 in Alabama

● Connect to broader Alabama infrastructure crisis

2. Present Evidence-Based Solution

● Use Serenity Village white paper technical speciﬁcations

● Reference successful rain garden installations elsewhere

● Show cost comparisons with hard numbers

● Demonstrate dual beneﬁt: ﬂood control + food security for same investment

● Document that rain gardens provide food access where groceries are 10% more

expensive

3. Demonstrate Partnership Commitment

● Secure MOUs with municipal partners

● Document matching fund commitments

● Show regulatory support and permitting assistance

● Include food assistance organizations as partners (food banks, community kitchens)

4. Emphasize Regional Impact

● Position as model for Gulf Coast communities facing dual ﬂooding/food insecurity

challenges

● Create replicable technical toolkit for food desert areas with ﬂooding

● Address regional food security alongside infrastructure

● Target communities that "fall through the cracks" - don't qualify for federal aid but still

face food insecurity

5. Provide Solid Technical Foundation

● Include all engineering calculations

● Reference peer-reviewed research

________________________________________________

19901 Quail Circle

Fairhope AL 36532

701-770-9118

michaelh@nsgia.com

Combined Life Settlement Notes - no external credit warrantor

● Provide MATLAB modeling for credibility

● Add nutritional analysis showing caloric production potential

● Include food access mapping showing distance from grocery stores

Next Steps

1. Secure partnership agreements with documented commitments

2. Quantify speciﬁc sites with ﬂooding frequency data

3. Create detailed budget with municipal cost-share veriﬁcation

4. Develop technical appendix using veriﬁed designs and calculations

5. Document community engagement plans with speciﬁc partners

________________________________________________

19901 Quail Circle

Fairhope AL 36532

701-770-9118

michaelh@nsgia.com