Rain garden's are quickly becoming a popular Best Management Practice (BMP) for stormwater control in new development.  Rain garden's provide a more decorative and aesthetically pleasing alternative to traditional stormwater detention methods. 

Rain gardens are designed to collect stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces during rainfall events.  During a rain even, water is ponded in the rain garden, usually to a maximum ponding depth of 6"-12".  Ponded stormwater is infiltrated back into the ground, reducing the amount of runoff leaving the site.  Once the water in the rain garden reaches its maximum ponding depth, excess rain water is released via an outlet pipe or spillway.

Brick has personally built 3 rain gardens at the LEI office in a variety of locations. The LEI rain gardens not only control runoff from impervious surfaces, but also have provided Brick with the experience of constructing various rain gardens. Brick is also able to review and monitor the performance or each rain garden based on a variety of storm events.  The experience and monitoring has also demonstrated how a variety of plant species, located in varying zones (wet, dry and transitional), can provide beautiful color to a landscape feature from May thru October.

Rain Garden 1
Built in 2009, Rain Garden 1 is the largest rain garden at the LEI office.  This rain garden is located at the bottom of the drive & parking area and collects runoff from part of the paved surfaces and roof tops.  Since its construction, the plants in Rain Garden 1 have substantially increased in density, creating a beautifully dense landscape with changing color throughout the spring, summer and fall. 

Rain Garden 2
Built in 2010, Rain Garden 2 is a smaller rain garden located between a cobblestone walkway and the detached garage building.  This rain garden collects some stormwater runoff from the adjacent walkways as well as roof tops.  Rain Garden 2 includes mostly native plant material, transplanted from surrounding wooded and wetland areas.

Rain Garden 3
Built in 2008, Rain Garden 3 is the original of the 3 rain gardens, located behind the garage and at the base of Brick's vegetable garden.  Rain Garden 3 collects some roof top runoff as well as runoff from the vegetable garden above.  A fieldstone sump was constructed near the overflow pipe of Rain Garden 1, so that runoff collected can be transferred to upslope rain barrels and stored for irrigation within the vegetable garden.