Question:
What are rain gardens?
Answer:
Rain gardens are areas of native vegetation and plants that absorb rainwater (from roofs and other impermeable surfaces) before runoff can occur. They can be used on a household or community scale. There are many excellent publications on rain gardens, such as the University of Wisconsin’s "Rain Gardens: A Household Way to Improve Water Quality in Your Community."
Additionally, there are a number of other alternative stormwater management methods. They are outlined in Chapter 2 of the publication, The Practice of Low Impact Development (available at www.huduser.org/publications/PDF/practlowimpctdevel.pdf).