Explain how rain gardens, living roofs and composting can improve soil ecology.
Answers
Answer:
When rain falls on natural areas such as a forest or meadow, it is slowed down, filtered by soil and plants, and allowed to soak back into the ground. When rain falls on impervious surfaces such as rooftops, roads, parking lots and driveways, rain does not soak into the ground and storm water runoff is created. Stormwater runoff picks up pollution such as fertilizer, pesticides, sediment, motor oil, litter, pet and yard waste. In many Massachusetts towns, stormwater runoff does not go to a treatment plant. Instead, water and the pollution in it flows directly into storm drains, which eventually can deliver these pollutants to bodies of water.
Rain gardens are attractive, functional landscaped areas designed to capture and filter stormwater before it runs off into storm drains. They collect water in natural or constructed shallow vegetated depressions and allow it to soak into the ground slowly. This reduces the potential for erosion and minimizes the amount of pollutants flowing from a yard into a storm drain, and ultimately into our waterways. They may also be used as a buffer in shoreline areas to capture runoff from the home landscape before it enters a lake, pond, river or estuary.
Line drawing of a rain gardenRain gardens use the concept of bioretention, a water quality practice in which plants and soils filter pollutants from stormwater. By reducing stormwater runoff, rain gardens can be a valuable tool to help protect our water resources. While an individual rain garden may seem like a small thing, collectively they produce substantial neighborhood and community environmental benefits.
By capturing runoff in shallow depressions and letting it soak into the ground, rainwater gardens also help recharge stores of groundwater in aquifers. Moreover, they filter out sediment and other pollutants by catching close to the first inch of runoff, which contains the highest concentration of pollutants. Rain gardens transform stormwater from a destructive carrier of pollution into a source of sustenance for plant and wildlife habitats: the plants thrive on nitrogen and phosphorus that is picked up, while their stems trap sediment. Rainwater gardens are being incorporated into many new and existing areas for their environmental benefits, as well as their natural beauty.
Answer:
When rain falls on natural areas such as a forest or meadow, it is slowed down, filtered by soil and plants, and allowed to soak back into the ground. When rain falls on impervious surfaces such as rooftops, roads, parking lots and driveways, rain does not soak into the ground and storm water runoff is created. Stormwater runoff picks up pollution such as fertilizer, pesticides, sediment, motor oil, litter, pet and yard waste. In many Massachusetts towns, stormwater runoff does not go to a treatment plant. Instead, water and the pollution in it flows directly into storm drains, which eventually can deliver these pollutants to bodies of water.
Rain gardens are attractive, functional landscaped areas designed to capture and filter stormwater before it runs off into storm drains. They collect water in natural or constructed shallow vegetated depressions and allow it to soak into the ground slowly. This reduces the potential for erosion and minimizes the amount of pollutants flowing from a yard into a storm drain, and ultimately into our waterways. They may also be used as a buffer in shoreline areas to capture runoff from the home landscape before it enters a lake, pond, river or estuary.
Line drawing of a rain gardenRain gardens use the concept of bioretention, a water quality practice in which plants and soils filter pollutants from stormwater. By reducing stormwater runoff, rain gardens can be a valuable tool to help protect our water resources. While an individual rain garden may seem like a small thing, collectively they produce substantial neighborhood and community environmental benefits.
By capturing runoff in shallow depressions and letting it soak into the ground, rainwater gardens also help recharge stores of groundwater in aquifers. Moreover, they filter out sediment and other pollutants by catching close to the first inch of runoff, which contains the highest concentration of pollutants. Rain gardens transform stormwater from a destructive carrier of pollution into a source of sustenance for plant and wildlife habitats: the plants thrive on nitrogen and phosphorus that is picked up, while their stems trap sediment. Rainwater gardens are being incorporated into many new and existing areas for their environmental benefits, as well as their natural beauty.
Explanation: