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On-Street Rain Gardens
What is a Rain Garden?
Rain gardens are shallow, planted areas designed to absorb rainfall and runoff from hard surfaces such as sidewalks, parking lots, and asphalt. The plants and grasses in a rain garden have deep roots that allow them to soak up water and encourage infiltration. During rainfall events, a rain garden slows down the rush of water from impervious surfaces, holds the water for a short period of time, and allows it to naturally seep into the ground.
What are the Benefits of a Rain Garden?
Rain gardens benefit the urban environment of downtown State College in many ways. They allow stormwater to infiltrate the ground and recharge aquifers, filter out pollutants and sediments, minimize flooding, and provide a natural habitat for native pollinators.
Here in the Borough, we have five rain gardens - two on Allen Street, one on Barnard Street, one on Pugh Street, and one on Easterly Parkway. Altogether, they have helped manage stormwater runoff and mitigate the negative impacts of urbanization on the Spring Creek Watershed since 2010. Follow the links below to learn more about each of these on-street rain gardens:
- Allen Street Rain Gardens
- Barnard Street Rain Garden
- Pugh Street Rain Garden
- Easterly Parkway Rain Garden
Build Your Own Rain Garden
To build a rain garden of your own, check out this helpful app brought to you by the University of Connecticut CLEAR Program! Or you can check out this awesome step-by-step guide to building both a Rain Garden and a Rain Barrel (PDF)!