Rain Gardens: clean water resources on the Quinnipiac River
There are many ways communities abutting the Quinnipiac River can help keep it and the surrounding environs clean.
This past spring, Save the Sound installed nine rain gardens in Southington as part of the Connecticut Fund for the Environment’s Quinnipiac River Watershed Project. Rain gardens look like any other garden on the surface, but their science is impressive. The Southington rain gardens were designed to capture rain water from rooftops, collect it within the soil of each garden and slowly release it into the ground, recharging groundwater supplies with clean water. The project was supported by a community of volunteers who turned out to help and have become a voice for green infrastructure and clean water resources on the Quinnipiac River.
“We’re always on the lookout for volunteers who like to help out with rain gardens or installing native plantings as part of our habitat restoration projects,” says Chris Cryder, Special Projects Coordinator for Save the Sound (a program of Connecticut Fund for the Environment).
For more information about how to build your own rain garden, visit www.reducerunoff.org.