LEAF Third Thursday Speaker Series: Rain Gardens

When it rains, it pours. And when it pours, stormwater flows into storm drains, causing erosion, water pollution, flooding, and diminished groundwater. The chemicals and particles picked up by rain as it finds its way over pavement and through our sewer system causes a great deal of the pollution of our lakes, streams, and rivers. And, as it turns out, creates an undue burden on that sewer system.

You've probably seen rain gardens around and not even known it (one example that comes to mind is the gardens in the parking lot of the YMCA). These shallow depressions of native plants, grasses, and/or shrubs that allow rainwater runoff from driveways, roofs, walkways, and other impervious surfaces to be absorbed into the soil, are one important solution to this problem. Filled with deep-rooted plants, rain gardens help to filter pollutants and retain water and nutrients in the surrounding soil, which will benefit your entire garden ecosystem.

Come learn more about rain gardens and how you can benefit from them with the Lakewood Earth & Food (LEAF) Community and the Cuyahoga County Board of Health at this month's Third Thursday Speaker Series event on April 15th at 6pm in the Meeting Room at the Madison Branch of the Lakewood Public Library (13229 Madison Avenue).

For more information about LEAF or this event, check out our website at www.leafcommunity.org, email us at leafcommunity@gmail.com, or give us a call at (216) 367-2834.

Read More on LEAF Community
Volume 6, Issue 7, Posted 9:23 PM, 04.06.2010