Rain Garden/Bioretention Areas: A Better Fix for Lake Saint Louis' Stormwater Problems

Recently, you have heard of attempts to generate funding for our infrastructure problems. They range from a sales tax increase to a property tax increase. Although one of these may be inevitable, there are systems available to prevent further damage to our system.

In 2011, I submitted an application for a grant to build a rain garden/bioretention area in Boulevard Park. With the help of city staff, we were awarded this grant which allowed us to build the area.

It is available for viewing now. There will be special events during 2012 in the form of presentations to the public, etc. There are kiosks on the lot in the Park now. The kids from Green Tree elementary will be involved. My reason to have this built is to demonstrate new ways to develop commercial and residential properties so that rain water, snow melt, etc. can be held, filtered, and slowed to prevent permanent damage to our existing infrastructure.

This will go a long way to save the city thousands of future dollars in repairing the system in place.  We will have to convince builders and homeowners to build these systems which have proven to be much more inexpensive than tradional methods of controlling stormwater as we know it. Let me define rain gardens and bioretention areas so that you have a better understanding of what these areas can accomplish:

Rain gardens are small, shallow low spots (depressions) planted with native perennials and shrubs, which catch and hold flowing rain water and snow melt from lawns, driveways, parking lots, sidewalks, sump pumps, and roof downspouts. They are generally less than 100 square feet, six to twelve inches deep, and hold water for under four days. Designed to absorb the first inch of rain fall, they can handle 80-90 percent of the rain that falls during a typical year. They are designed to accomodate individual home owners with private stormwater problems.

Benefits include :

• lower costs than traditional storm water infrastructure such as curb and gutter
• slower and decreased overland water flow resulting in lower soil erosion
• restoration of native ecological functioning,increased biological diversity and elimination of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizer.

In the next couple of days in a separate blog, I will describe bioretention areas and how they treat the first flush of stormwater runoff and how they will be beneficial to developers and builders.

John Pellerito