When the oceans first formed on this planet they held a certain amount of water. Today we still have essentially the same amount of water as then, but as of 2010 humans are using a whopping 60% more than in 1960. In some areas, water is being pumped out of the ground about 35% faster than it is being replaced. Add to this the huge amount of storm water runoff that is the largest source of water pollution we have, and you can see that something major has to be done, and soon.
Beneficial rain gardens have become wildly popular with home gardeners as well as local and state governments, because this type of garden can go a long way toward returning naturally purified clean water to our planetary system risk of rain 2 loadouts.
What Is a Rain Garden? Simply put a rain garden is a depression in your landscape filled with native trees, shrubs, grasses and/or wildflowers. Plant roots soak up rainwater, and the excess percolates slowly through the soil. It is filtered and cleansed on its journey to our natural underground water storage known as aquifers. The definition of an aquifer, according to Encarta online Dictionary: a layer of permeable rock, sand, or gravel through which ground water flows, containing enough water to supply wells and springs.
What Do Rain Gardens Do? Once upon a time there was grass and forest as far as the eye could see. Then humans began to build. They built houses, garages, condos, paved roads, patios, driveways, parking lots; well, you get the idea. Hard surfaces replaced earth, grass, fields and forests. So where does the water go when it rains? It runs right down your driveway and into the street and storm drains.
Where do storm drains go? To the city water treatment facility, streams, lakes, rivers or the ocean.
And what does this runoff water carry with it? Pollutants, chemicals, garbage, plastic, phosphorus from fertilizers, pesticide residues, antifreeze from vehicles, rust and dust from vehicle brakes, heavy metals and disease-carrying bacteria and viruses from animal waste, and so on.
Removing runoff rainwater from clogged storm drains helps to keep them from being overwhelmed in a drenching rain situation. We've all seen the news reports about rescuers having to help stranded motorists whose cars have stalled in deep water. According to the National Weather Service we can expect more and more powerful rain storms. That means more downpours, more street flooding, more pollutants ending up in our water, more motorists and rescuers at risk, and sky-rocketing insurance rates, and costs for cleanup, etc.
What are the Benefits of Planting a Rain Garden? Did you know that as many as twelve times more birds are present in wetland habitats than in their dry counterparts! Lots of beneficial insects and small animals enjoy rain gardens. Even though they are rich in bugs, there is no long-term standing water, so there's no fear of mosquitoes in a rain garden. Additionally, these gardens are generally maintenance free. Most weeds do not thrive in wet conditions. Yes, a virtually no-weed garden is actually possible!
As rain falls through the pollutants in the atmosphere, it collects them. These airborne baddies will be automatically filtered through the soil in a rain garden as well.
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