A rain garden is a flat, constructed cavity which is covered with deep-rooted native plants & grasses. It is present in landscape to receive overflow of water from hard surfaces like a roof, a sidewalk and a driveway. Rain gardens helps to sink the overflow of water from these hard surfaces and to hold the water for a short duration of time and enables it to naturally percolate into the ground.
A rain garden can be considered as a personal water quality system as it filters the overflow of water from roof and lawn and revitalizes the groundwater. It also conserves municipal water resources by decreasing the requirement for irrigation.
Rain gardens are a beautiful and colorful method for homeowners, businesses and municipalities to help in curing storm water problems. There is an advancing progression by municipalities and homeowners to include natural processes to help in relieving flooding and pollution.
Benefits of rain gardens are:
- They help in rising the amount of water which percolates into the ground, which refreshes local and regional aquifers.
- They help in protecting communities from occurrence of flooding and drainage problems.
- They help in protecting streams and lakes from pollutants like lawn fertilizers and pesticides, oil and other fluids which leak from cars that are transported by urban stormwater and also prevents many harmful substances which wash off roofs and paved areas from entering rivers or lakes.
- They will improve the beauty of yards and neighborhoods.
- They will provide relevant habitat for birds, butterflies and several beneficial insects.