Beautiful Lawns and Healthy Waterways: How Rain Gardens Help
Ever wondered where all the rainwater goes after a downpour? In urban and suburban areas, it often races off paved surfaces like roofs and driveways, carrying pollutants with it. This polluted runoff can overwhelm storm drains and end up in our rivers, streams, and lakes, harming aquatic ecosystems.
But there's a simple solution that's both beautiful and effective: rain gardens. These sunken gardens, filled with native plants, act like natural sponges. They capture rainwater runoff, allowing it to slowly soak into the ground instead of rushing off. This reduces the amount of stormwater entering drains and helps prevent flooding.
Rain gardens don't just manage water flow, they also play a vital role in water quality. As water filters through the soil in a rain garden, plants and microbes remove pollutants like fertilizers, pesticides, and oil. This natural filtration process helps keep our waterways clean and healthy for fish, wildlife, and even us!
So, if you're looking for a way to do your part for the environment, consider planting a rain garden. They're a low-maintenance way to beautify your yard, manage stormwater, and protect our precious water resources.
To address this important issue the Northern Virginia Regional Commission is pleased to coordinate the activities of the Northern Virginia Clean Water Partners program. The Northern Virginia Clean Water Partners represent 19 Northern Virginia local governments, school systems, independent water and sanitary sewer authorities, and local businesses that care about the quality of our waterways and the region's quality of life. Visit the web site for locally available resources or NVRC’s web site.
About the Northern Virginia Regional Commission
NVRC is a consortium of thirteen local governments representing more than 2.5 million residents. While only 3% of Virginia's land mass, Northern Virginia has a GDP of $276 Billion which is 41.6% of the GDP of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Northern Virginia’s GDP is larger than 24 states and the District of Columbia and if a country would be the 48th largest economy in the world.