“Having a rain garden in your community landscape will reap much more than what is easily visible”, stated Public Works Director Vince LoMedico. During a heavy rainstorm much of the water quickly washes into streets from sidewalks, parking lots, and lawns. It then goes down storm drains and eventually ends up in local water bodies.
What you don’t see washing away with the rain water are pollutants such as pesticides, fertilizers, and petrochemicals, which may have accumulated on lawns, driveways, and streets. A shallow depression in the lawn to capture storm water allows this water to penetrate and move into the ground instead of running off and down into the storm drain. As the captured water slowly percolates into the ground, pollutants are filtered out, nutrients are used by the plants, or pesticides are broken down by microorganisms. Minimizing runoff into storm drains also results in decreased sediment, flooding, and shoreline damage. Compared to a conventional lawn, rain gardens allow 30% more water to soak into the ground. Because rain gardens are landscaped, they add beauty to a lawn/park and create a habitat for birds, butterflies, and beneficial insects.
"This is our second community rain garden here in the borough; a rain garden will not require as much care as a lawn area but will need some maintenance to ensure long-term success. This enables our public works staff to concentrate on other areas throughout the borough that may need more attention. Our town has been plagued with storms for many years, this will help mitigate various sections of our town that are prone to flooding," said LoMedico.
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