Residential Rain Gardens

Benefits of Rain Gardens
Rain gardens, also known as bioretention areas, are attractive landscape features that allow rain water and snow melt to infiltrate into the ground.  A layer of mulch and plants intercept water running off streets, driveways, and rooftops, slowing its flow and removing pollutants before the water reaches local streams, the Occoquan River and the Potomac River, drinking water supplies for the region.
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Resources

General Information

Design and Construction
Native Plant Guidance
Maintenance
Examples


2021 Rain Garden Workshop

The 2021 Rain Garden workshop recording is now live on our YouTube channel! You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/_o6gkYLDjnI

Presentations

Function and Benefits of Rain Garden
Corey Miles, Senior Environmental Planner, Northern Virginia Regional Commission

Designing and Building a Rain Garden
Maria Harwood, Conservation Planner, Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District

Selecting Plants and Landscaping a Rain Garden
Aileen Winquist, Stormwater Communications Manager, Arlington County Environmental Services, Office of Sustainability and Environmental Management

Maintaining a Rain Garden and Lessons-Learned
Aileen Winquist, Stormwater Communications Manager, Arlington County Environmental Services, Office of Sustainability and Environmental Management

Workshop Partners

The Northern Virginia Regional Commission, the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Arlington County Department of Environmental Services, co-sponsor the Beautifying Your Yard for Healthy Streams rain garden workshops.

NVRC's participation is funded, in part, by Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program at the Department of Environmental Quality through grants provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, under the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended.