Rain garden. Photo: Courtesy of MDC
Manage Stormwater
Using native wetland and moist prairie or forest plants in rain gardens, and in bioretention and wetland detention basins, slows down and absorbs rainwater, thus reducing the quantity and velocity of stormwater runoff, which protects streams and water quality.
Grow Native! resources for more information on natives for managing stormwater:
Missouri Prairie Journal articles:
- Grow Native! for Water Quality, Missouri Prairie Journal, Vol. 33, No. 1, 2012
- Grow Native! Missouri’s Native Aquatics, Missouri Prairie Journal, Vol. 35, No. 2, 2014
Other resources:
- Rain Gardening and Stormwater Management: a Landscaping Guide for Missouri, from Shaw Nature Reserve and Grow Native!.
- Plants for Stormwater Design: Species Selection for the Upper Midwest, from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
- Technical Bulletin No 1: Stormwater Design Guidelines for Karst Terrain, from Chesapeake Stormwater Network.
- Green Stormwater Operations and Maintenance Manual, from Seattle Public Utilities.
- The Chicago Green Alley Handbook, from Chicago Department of Transportation.
- i-Tree Design to see the stormwater benefit of individual trees.
- A Resident’s Reference Guide to Stormwater Management by Kansas City Water Services.