 RAIN GARDENS
A rain garden is a depressed
area in the lawn that forms a "bioretention area". It
allows water to collect and slowly seep into the ground. This
excess water (called runoff) causes the soil in its path to erode
more rapidly than it would naturally. Gravity then causes this
runoff to flow downhill and into the closest stream or other waterway,
carrying with it the sediment, pesticides, fertilizers, and other
pollutants it encounters along the way. Rain gardens contain plants
that intercept and slow down the storm water runoff and absorb
or trap much of what it contains.
Rain gardens are suitable
for any land-use situation, residential, commercial and industrial.
A rain garden should be placed so that impervious surfaces (roofs,
roads, and parking lots) will drain into the depression area.
Its purpose is to minimize the volume and improve the quality
of water entering conventional storm drains and nearby streams.
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