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Did you know that water draining off of impervious surfaces like rooftops, sidewalks, driveways,
parking lots and roads when it rains can encounter pollutants such as oil, sediment, fertilizers,
soap and pet waste along its way to storm drains, creeks and lakes?
Hello, this is John Pennington, county extension agent for agriculture and water quality in
Washington County, and today I’m going to be talking about using rain gardens to protect
water quality by collecting stormwater runoff from impervious areas.
Rain gardens are a cost-effective way to manage stormwater to prevent pollutants and excessive
amounts of runoff water from reaching streams, lakes and other waterways, which can protect
water quality and reduce downstream flooding, increase groundwater recharge and help sustain
base-water flow of streams. Rain gardens can also add beauty to the landscape
and provide wildlife habitat. Rain gardens are low-lying depressions located downslope
of impervious areas and can absorb stormwater runoff, prevent stormwater runoff from encountering
pollutants, and filter pollutants contained in water that enters into the rain garden.
Rain gardens have level bottoms, to allow the incoming water to spread across the entire
surface of the rain garden. This allows the stormwater to slow down and soak in, so that
it can be filtered by the plants and soil within the rain garden. Rain gardens are becoming
more popular every day and can be found in a variety of locations such as home lawns,
schoolyards, business landscapes, parks, parking lot, and many other locations.
If you would like to add a decorative landscape feature that can prevent downstream flooding,
provide wildlife habitat and protect water quality, then a rain garden is the landscape
feature for you. Remember, it’s everyone’s responsibility
to protect water quality, so you can do your part by using a rain garden to process stormwater
runoff from impervious surfaces. To find out more about protecting water, contact
your local county extension office or watershed partnership. This podcast was funded by the
Arkansas Natural Resource Commission and Environmental Protection Agency.