Investigating the Performance of Simple Rain Gardens Created in Existing Soils: An assessment of 5 case study rain gardens in Guelph, ON

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Date

2016-05-09

Authors

Maxwell, Alison

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Publisher

University of Guelph

Abstract

Rain gardens are a form of sustainable stormwater management which detain stormwater and facilitate its infiltration. Many studies on rain garden optimization have led to guidelines for the creation of highly technical rain gardens (TRGs) being widely available from authorities on LID construction. However, these requirements are often unrealistic for small-scale projects and present barriers to their implementation. An alternative to TRGs are simple rain gardens (SRGs) that have no underdrain and are often created in existing soils. Many municipalities now provide guidelines for SRG design, but little research on their functioning has been reported. This investigation measures infiltration rates, soil composition, and sizing of five case study SRGs in Guelph, ON and assesses their performance via percentages of influent stormwater detained, and total volumes detained annually. Analysis reveals three of the five case studies to be performing at full capacity and positive contributions to stormwater management from all.

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Keywords

low impact development (LID), ecological design, stormwater infiltration, landscape architecture, sustainable stormwater management, best management practices (BMP)

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