What is a Raingarden?
Raingardens capture stormwater from hard surfaces and filter it through layers of sandy soil. These layers help to slow the rate of stormwater entering our waterways while also filtering out pollutants, excess nutrients and chemicals that normally build up on these surfaces in urban environments.
You can create a raingarden in either a planter box or at ground level. They are designed to collect water from downpipes, rainwater tank overflows or hard paved surfaces such as driveways and courtyards.
The plants in your raingarden help with the uptake of excess nutrients that would otherwise end up in our rivers and creeks.
By capturing stormwater, raingardens are self watering and are therefore easier to maintain and use less of our precious drinking water than regular gardens.
Why build a Raingarden?
Raingardens are self watering and easy to maintain, especially if planted with native, drought tolerant plants. Raingardens also help to clean and slow the rate of stormwater entering our rivers and creeks which in turn protects the animals, plants and fish who rely on healthy waterways for their survival.
Stormwater pollution is the biggest threat to our local rivers and creeks. Each year about 500 billion litres of stormwater containing harmful pollutants such as heavy metals, oil, litter, organic matter and excess nutrients enters our rivers, creeks and bays via stormwater drains.
Raingardens help to improve the quality and quantity of stormwater before it enters our waterways. Building a raingarden in your own backyard is one way you can make a real difference to the environment and contribute to healthy waterways.
Building your own Raingarden
Click here to download the Planter Box Raingarden instruction sheet.
Click here to download the Ground Level Raingarden instruction sheet.