Catchment-scale hydrologic effectiveness of residential rain gardens : a case study in Columbia, Maryland, USA / Benjamin J. Daniels and Jon Alan Yeakley.

Abstract: To mitigate the adverse impacts of urban stormwater on streams, watershed managers are increasingly using low-impact development and green infrastructure (LID-GI) stormwater control measures, such as rain gardens—vegetated depressional areas that collect and infiltrate runoff from rooftops and driveways. The results of this study show that residential rain gardens can significantly improve the runoff response of suburban catchments, and that they represent an effective and relatively low-cost option for urban watershed management and restoration.