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A rain garden is a shallow depression that is planted with deep-rooted plants and grasses. It is located to receive runoff from any impervious surface such as a roof, a downspout, driveway or slope of the land. Rain gardens capture the flow of water from its source and use it as a resource. Here the water is held for a short period of time to allow for natural absorption into the selected plantings accompanied by filtration and percolation for ground water recharge. A rain garden is a swale planted with water and drought tolerant plants to aid in absorption of water, nutrients and chemicals. Rain gardens are one of the cheapest and easiest solutions for excess water that can be installed almost anywhere. They greatly reduce storm water runoff and therefore reduce the impact of pollutants that would otherwise enter local drainage systems, the estuaries and ultimately our precious Gulf of Mexico.
In urban areas, water flows quickly across hard surfaces, picking up pollutants -- from lawn clippings, pesticides, fertilizers, gas, oil and other types of residue -- before dumping into storm drains. In most cases, pollutant loaded storm water is not treated or cleaned in any way. By making adjustments to how your property mitigates water runoff we can capture and redirect the otherwise wasted rain water. When this system is functioning properly, it will improve your water quality increasing the health of the plants and reducing irrigation demands on your land.
Directing rainwater to a rain garden, holding it and then allowing it to slowly release into the soil, allows water from a large storm to be slowed and cleaned – quickly, neatly and naturally. |
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Rain Garden Benefits: |
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