Cornell University: Installing a Rain Garden

Building Strong and Vibrant New York Communities Cornell Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities, NYS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, NYS College of Human Ecology, and NYS College of Veterinary Medicine at... More

Building Strong and Vibrant New York Communities Cornell Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities, NYS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, NYS College of Human Ecology, and NYS College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University, Cooperative Extension associations, county governing bodies, and U. S. Department of Agriculture, cooperating Installing a Rain Garden What Is a Rain Garden and What does it do? A rain garden looks like an ornamental perennial garden, but contains a shallow depression that is designed to collect and filter stormwater that runs off nearby hard surfaces, such as roofs, driveways or walkways. Rain gardens have a ponding depth of only a few inches, and are expected to hold water for just a day or so. The water leaving the garden may enter a storm drain system, or seep into the ground, where it can help to renew our groundwater – especially important in Rockland County, where we depend primarily on wells for our water. T Less