Rain Gardens: Capturing Runaway Water
Rain water runoff is a cumulative problem - we are concerned to get it away from our house
foundations but give little thought to where it goes from there. Most often we pipe it straight from downspouts to gutter to street to storm drain inlet and on to creeks and streams. As runoff continues downstream, pollutants carried along by the mounting flow make their way to larger rivers and ultimately our region's Chesapeake Bay.
An attractive and more water-responsible option is a rain garden. A rain garden is a planted pocket of fast-draining soil designed to receive a large volume of runoff, hold it, and allow it to infiltrate into the ground. By holding back runoff, erosion pressure on our stream banks is reduced. Draining slowly into the soil, water is cleansed as it rejoins natural groundwater. Who knew a clean water strategy could be so attractive?
foundations but give little thought to where it goes from there. Most often we pipe it straight from downspouts to gutter to street to storm drain inlet and on to creeks and streams. As runoff continues downstream, pollutants carried along by the mounting flow make their way to larger rivers and ultimately our region's Chesapeake Bay.
An attractive and more water-responsible option is a rain garden. A rain garden is a planted pocket of fast-draining soil designed to receive a large volume of runoff, hold it, and allow it to infiltrate into the ground. By holding back runoff, erosion pressure on our stream banks is reduced. Draining slowly into the soil, water is cleansed as it rejoins natural groundwater. Who knew a clean water strategy could be so attractive?
