Rain gardens, also called bioretention facilities, are one of a variety of practices designed to increase reabsorption of rain runoff by the soil. They can also be used to treat polluted stormwater runoff. Rain gardens are designed landscape sites that reduce the flow rate, total quantity, and pollutant load of runoff from impervious urban areas like roofs, driveways, walkways, parking lots, and compacted lawn areas. Rain gardens rely on plants and natural or engineered soil medium to retain stormwater and increase the lag time of infiltration, while remediating and filtering pollutants carried by urban runoff. Rain gardens provide a method to reuse and optimize any rain that falls, reducing or avoiding the need for additional irrigation. A benefit of planting rain gardens is the consequential decrease in ambient air and water temperature, a mitigation that is especially effective in urban areas containing an abundance of impervious surfaces that absorb heat in a phenomenon known as the heat-island effect. Rain garden plantings commonly include wetland edge vegetation, such as wildflowers, sedges, rushes, ferns, shrubs and small trees. These plants take up nutrients and water that flow into the rain garden, and they release water vapor back to the atmosphere through the process of transpiration. Deep plant roots also create additional channels for stormwater to filter into the ground.
Information sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Educational Lesson Plans
Enhance your classroom experience with our comprehensive educational lesson plans designed to accompany this virtual tour. Each lesson plan aligns with national educational standards and includes pre-tour activities, guided exploration questions, discussion prompts, and post-tour assessment materials. Perfect for grades K-12 and higher education.
Share This Virtual Tour
Know someone who would enjoy this virtual field trip? Share this 3D tour with teachers, students, friends, and family. Virtual field trips make learning accessible to everyone, regardless of location or ability to travel.
