RAIN GARDEN

Rain Gardens are specialized areas that utilize plants and drainage techniques to capture excess rain water and prevent pollutants from entering the watershed via stormwater runoff.  The ground underneath is designed to be able to hold a large amount of water and allow it to slowly recharge the groundwater while the plants and soil remove contaminants and excess nutrients through a process called bio-remediation.  Stormwater runoff occurs when rain lands on an impermeable surface like roads or parking lots and washes surface contaminants into drainage channels that eventually lead to the chesapeake bay causing algal blooms and other negative impacts on this delicate ecosystem.  Rain gardens like this one protect the bay and support healthy ecosystems by buffering the impact of impermeable surfaces and stormwater runoff.