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Rain
Gardens |
| What
is a Rain Garden? |
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Rain
gardens are landscaped areas planted to wild flowers and other native
vegetation that soak up rain water from the roof of a house or other
building. After a
storm, the rain garden fills up with a few inches of water and slowly
infiltrates into the soil. This reduces the amount of water running
off the ground and into a storm drain. A rain garden allows about 30% more
water to soak into the ground than a conventional lawn.
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| Why
are Rain Gardens important? |
- Increases infiltration into ground
which recharges aquifers.
- Helps protect communities from
flooding and drainage problems.
- Helps protect lakes and rivers from
pollutants carried off urban stormwater.
- Enhances the beauty of yards and
neighborhoods.
- Provides habitat for birds and
butterflies.
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| Rain Garden Demonstration Project
(Click on the thumbnail to enlarge
the photo.) |
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Several
county departments and local groups have worked together to design and
construct a rain garden on the Winnebago County Fairgrounds. The
purpose of the project is to create a rain garden that can be used as an
educational tool to promote their use by citizen's throughout the county.
The
following agencies or groups participated in this project:
-
University
of Wisconsin Extension
-
Winnebago
County Land & Water Conservation Department
-
Winnebago
County Parks Department
-
Master
Gardeners
-
Marshland
Transplant Aquatic Nursery
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For
more information on Rain Gardens, please visit:
http://clean-water.uwex.edu/pubs/raingarden/index.html
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