Dunes Creek Watershed
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Left: Before installation of the rain garden, stormwater ran off the site and into Dunes Creek (Photo from IDNR-LMCP).
Right: Water that used to run off the site is now diverted to the rain garden, where it is absorbed and filtered by soil and plants (Photo from INDR-LMCP).
What is a rain garden?
Rain gardens are shallow, attractively-landscaped, depressions that help to manage stormwater runoff on site. The bowl-shaped gardens create “bioretention areas” by collecting stormwater run-off from impervious surfaces and allowing it to be slowly absorbed and filtered by soil and plants. Rain gardens provide numerous benefits to homeowners and the entire community, such as pollutant removal, increased stormwater infiltration, flood control, and wildlife habitat. By retaining water that would otherwise run-off into storm drains and waterbodies, rain gardens remove common stormwater pollutants, such as lawn chemical, automotive oil and fluids, according to Wisconsin DNR.
Indiana Dunes State Park Rain Garden
In the spring of 2007 SDCF planted the first rain garden at the Indiana Dunes State Park with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), the Porter County Master Gardeners, and other volunteers. Water from the roof of the IDNR-Lake Michigan Coastal Program (LMCP) office building is now directed to the rain garden. Joe Exl, Coastal Nonpoint Coordinator with IDNR-LMCP designed the garden. The rain garden provides an excellent opportunity to educate Indiana Dunes State Park visitors on ways they can help alleviate stormwater runoff and nonpoint source pollution. SDCF, DNR, and the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC) conducted a workshop prior to the rain garden installation on May 22nd. SDCF Water Program Director, Christine Livingston, presented information on how rain gardens protect water quality. Art Gara, owner of Art and Linda’s Wildflowers, shared his vast experience installing rain gardens. After the presentations, workshop participants helped plant the rain garden, which was excavated by the Indiana Dunes State Park staff. An interpretive sign will be posted near the garden to educate Park visitors on rain gardens. Be sure to stop by the LMCP office on your next trip to the park to see the new rain garden!
Dorothy Buell Visitor Center Rain Garden
A second rain garden workshop and installation was held on June 21 at the new Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center in Porter, Indiana. Nearly 50 volunteers helped SDCF plant the rain garden after learning about the benefits of rain garden from SDCF Water Program Director, Christine Livingston, and recieving installation tips from Holly Hubbel. The Visitor Center garden is part of SDCF’s best management practice (BMP) demonstration at the site. Other BMPs showcased at the Visitor Center include vegetated swales, and a two-stage ditch.
Diagram from Rain Gardens of West Michigan.
To learn more about rain gardens or to plan your own garden visit the following sites:
Why plant a rain garden?
Under natural conditions soil and vegetation absorb and filter rainwater. However, as watersheds become more developed, increases in impervious surfaces prevent precipitation from soaking into the ground. Impervious surfaces, such as parking lots, roads, and rooftops force stormwater to run quickly across the land surface into stormdrains and bodies of water, picking up pollutants and causing flooding and streambank erosion. Rain gardens are simple and inexpensive, and you can design and install one on your property yourself! By retaining precipitation where it falls, rain gardens protect water quality. Your rain garden can also attract wildlife to your yard. In addition to enjoying a beautiful garden in your yard, you get the satisfaction of doing your part to protect your watershed!