Rain gardens capture runoff, clean water
Many cities are now requiring builders to create water catchment systems to prevent erosion and improve water quality. One way for homeowners to do this is build rain gardens on their property.
Roxy Wolosenko, a landscape designer and contractor, outlined both the benefits of rain gardens and the steps for constructing one. Here are her tips:
Most older homes have n rain gutters that direct water off the roof and onto the landscaping where, more often than not, it runs into the street and down storm drains. The problem, says Wolosenko, is that the water picks up toxins from the landscape and street, killing and sickening wildlife downstream, and storm drains can become overwhelmed by the volume of water during a storm.
Rain gardens provide n a place for the water to go and slowly percolate into the ground. The soil will help filter out any pollutants and the gardens provide places for us to grow native plants that prefer our winter rains.
Build a rain garden at n least 10 feet from the house, and provide an overflow area that is also away from your house.
Use trenches or underground n pipes to direct the water from the gutters to the rain garden.
The bottom of the rain n garden should be flat and the sides sloped. You can plant in both areas.
Before building, n determine your percolation rate by digging a hole and filling it with water. If it takes longer than a day and half to drain, you’ll want to import better-draining soil for your garden. You don’t want to create a pond or have standing water where mosquitoes can breed.