New brochure provides detailed information on building rain gardens
Release Date: 8/5/2003###
MADISON -- A new 32-page brochure is now available for people interested in building rain gardens on their property.
Rain gardens are gardens specifically designed to collect and filter rain that falls on a home's roof, driveway and lawn. The gardens are planted with wildflowers and native vegetation whose roots can withstand being covered by water for brief periods. Water is diverted into the garden from downs pouts and driveways and then allowed to filter slowly into the ground, rather than running off to storm drains.
Rain Gardens: A how-to manual for homeowners - EXIT DNR (publication number Pub WT-776) details step-by-step instructions on how to build a rain garden. It includes: information on calculating how much runoff is coming from roofs and lots; how deep and wide gardens should be to catch that amount of runoff; how to determine soil types and which plants might be appropriate; and a few sample design patterns.
Compared to a conventional patch of lawn, a rain garden allows about 30 percent more water to soak into the ground, according to Roger Bannerman, a non-point source pollution monitoring specialist with the Department of Natural Resources, who is a co-author of the publication.
According to the publication, "As cities and suburbs grow and replace forests and agricultural land, increased stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces becomes a problem. Stormwater runoff from developed areas increases flooding; carries pollutants from streets, parking lots and even lawns into local streams and lakes; and leads to costly municipal improvements in stormwater treatment structures.
"By reducing stormwater runoff, rain gardens can be a valuable part of changing these trends. While an individual rain garden may seem like a small thing, collectively they produce substantial neighborhood and community environmental benefits."
Rain gardens:
- Increase the amount of water that filters into the ground, which recharges local and regional aquifers;
- Help protect communities from flooding and drainage problems;
- Help protect streams and lakes from pollutants carried by urban stormwater lawn fertilizers and pesticides, oil and other fluids that leak from cars, and numerous harmful substances that wash off roofs and paved areas;
- Enhance the beauty of yards and neighborhoods; and
- Provide valuable habitat for birds, butterflies and many beneficial insects.
The manual, which was published by the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension Service, is available on line through the UW Extension Web site at http://clean-water.uwex.edu/pubs/raingarden/index.html. Hard copies are available by contacting Kristi Minahan at (608) 266-7055 or by e-mail at kristi.minahan@dnr.state.wi.us.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristi Minahan - (608) 266-7055
###
Source: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
