Rain gardens help pollinators, prevent stormwater contamination

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- The spring and summer seasons bring the possibility for heavy rainfall and contaminated stormwater runoff entering stormwater inlets.

Colleen Armstrong, stormwater quality coordinator for the City of St. Joseph, shared how the rain garden outside the city's water protection division building helps prevent this potential hazard.

"Native plants help suck up some of the nutrients or if there's any grit that comes off our parking lot or sediment, it will be captured within the garden," Armstrong said. "(It's) Held there versus going into a stormwater inlet."

The rain gardens are a shallow depression (maximum depth of 18 inches) filled with native plants that are wet and dry tolerant.

Armstrong said some of the native plants' root systems can reach up to 16 feet in the ground, which can allow more stormwater to go into the ground instead of causing erosion and sediment buildup in inlets.

An at home rain garden can help areas of the ground that have a collection of water after rainfall.

"We definitely recommend people installing them at home if they have some drainage problems," she said. "You don't want it in the soggy standing water areas of your yard, you're wanting to treat it above that because you're already not getting that infiltration in those wet spots."

She said to be sure to keep it 10 to 15 feet away from the home to avoid water entering the basement.

St. Joseph as a city has three rain gardens.

"The native plants help with our local pollinators and our local insects that are so vital to us and our food sources..." Armstrong said. "To have something like this that's helping support so many different types of insects and pollinators while also providing such a beneficial home for us as well."