“Raingardens arebeauty. Raingardens are
color. Raingardens are serenity. Butmore than
anything, raingardens areanexampleof nature
doingexactlywhat itwas intended todo.”
-VincyFok, IssaquahSchool District Student,
LIDTechnical Assistance for Student Engineers
gutter downspout >10ft fromhouse
Test
Test soil drainageat your
proposed raingarden site!
Toavoid creatingapond, water needs
to soak into the soil at a rateof at least
aquarter inchof water per hour. This
means ahole six inchesdeepwould
need todrain in24hours. You can test
thisbydiggingahole.
1.
Digahole that is at least 2 feet
deepand6 inches indiameter.
3.
Checkback in24hours
- if thehole is empty, it
isdraining fast enough
tobuilda raingarden!
24”
6”
2.
Fill thehole to the topwith
water. After it drains, fill it
again, this time to six inches.
Anatomyof a
Raingardens captureand cleanpolluted runoff from rooftops, driveways, andother impervious surfaces
(for thedefinitionof impervious seepage6). Roots and soil act as anatural water filter. Buildinga raingarden
canbea funengineeringproject to reducewater pollutionandprevent flooding inour communities.We
areprovidingbasic infoonhow todesigna raingarden, but beforebuilding it is important that youhave
your parentsor theadult you’reworkingwithattendan in-person raingardenworkshop, and review the
WashingtonStateUniversityRainGardenHandbook forHomeownersor LIDTechnical Assistance for Student
Engineers. Find theseandother raingarden resources at
4
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER5, 2016 |
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