RG

ain ardens:

A How-To Manual for Homeowners in the Municipality of Anchorage

Add a beautiful feature to your home landscape that will improve water quality in Anchorage

www.anchorageraingardens.com

RG

ain ardens:

A How-To Manual for Homeowners in the Municipality of Anchorage

Watershed Management Division Municipality of Anchorage 4700 Elmore Road Anchorage, AK 99507 (907) 343-8084 anchorageraingardens@muni.org

For more information on rain gardens visit: www.anchorageraingardens.com

Rain Gardens: A How-To Manual for Homeowners in the Municipality of Anchorage

GLOSSARY ..................................................................................................................................3 RAIN GARDENS: CONTRIBUTING TO CLEANER WATER IN ANCHORAGE ..............4 Why Should You Install a Rain Garden? .................................................................4 Building a Rain Garden is Easy and Fun .................................................................5 FREqUENTLY ASKED qUESTIONS ....................................................................................6 Who should use this manual? ...................................................................................6 Does a rain garden form a pond? ............................................................................6 Is a rain garden a breeding ground for mosquitoes? .......................................6 Do rain gardens require a lot of maintenance? ..................................................6 Is a rain garden expensive? ........................................................................................7 Why are rain gardens important? ............................................................................7 STEP 1: SIZING AND SITING YOUR RAIN GARDEN ........................................................8 Determining the Location of Your Rain Garden .................................................8 Consider the Overall Landscape ..............................................................................8 What Size Should Your Rain Garden be? ...............................................................9 Depth of Your Rain Garden ..................................................................................... 10 Determining Slope ..................................................................................................... 11 Example for determining slope ................................................................... 12 Determining Soil Types at Your Rain Garden Site ........................................... 12 Simple Soil Tests ................................................................................................ 12 Determining the Area Draining to Your Rain Garden .................................... 14 Rain gardens less than 30 feet from the water source ........................ 14 Rain gardens more than 30 feet from the water source ..................... 14 Example for determining drainage area ................................................... 15 Using the Rain Garden Sizing Criteria ................................................................. 15 Determining the Ideal Size of Your Rain Garden ............................................. 16 Example for Determining Water quality Volume .................................. 16 Example for Determining Rain Garden Area ........................................... 17 Determining Length and Width of Your Rain Garden ................................... 17 Example for Calculating the Length of Your Rain Garden .................. 18 STEP 2: BUILDING YOUR RAIN GARDEN ........................................................................ 20 Digging Your Rain Garden ....................................................................................... 20 Leveling Your Rain Garden ...................................................................................... 22 Tips for Designing an Attractive Rain Garden .................................................. 22 STEP 3: PLANTING AND MAINTAINING YOUR RAIN GARDEN ............................... 24 Planting Your Rain Garden ...................................................................................... 24 Maintaining Your Rain Garden ............................................................................... 24 Cost of Building a Rain Garden .............................................................................. 25 RAIN GARDEN SUGGESTED PLANT LISTS..................................................................... 26 RAIN GARDEN LAYOUT EXAMPLE ................................................................................... 27 RAIN GARDEN WORKSHEET .............................................................................................. 28

Glossary
Contributing area - All land area that
contributes flow to a design point.

Runoff - Stormwater runoff is

rainfall that reaches streams, lakes, and oceans by means of flowing across impervious surfaces. Impervious surfaces include roads, parking lots, driveways, and roofs.

Hydraulic conductivity - Hydraulic

conductivity is a measure of the ability of a soil or rock to transmit water. The rate at which water can pass through is affected by the size and distribution of pore space and fractures.

Stormwater - Flows originating from

surface runoff of rainfall or snowmelt.

Impervious surface - A surface that

permits insignificant or no infiltration of runoff water over the duration of a single stormwater runoff event; any surface with little or no capacity to transmit water.

Watershed - A watershed is a region

of land where surface drainage from rain or snowmelt drains downhill to a single point. The watershed area includes the streams and rivers that convey the water as well as the land surfaces over which water drains into those channels. Each watershed is separated hydrologically from adjacent watersheds by a divide, often in the form of a ridge, hill, or mountain.

Rain garden: A rain garden is a small depressed area planted with vegetation that helps filter rainwater that runs off roofs, paved surfaces, and lawns into the ground.

Infiltrate - The process by which water

on the ground surface enters the underlying soils.

Permeable soils - Permeable soils

are those through which water readily passes. Permeable soils tend to be coarse-textured with large, well-connected pore spaces.

Wetland - A landform feature so

designated under the Anchorage Wetlands Management Plan. An area that is inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances does support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas.

Recharge - Recharge is water that

infiltrates into underlying aquifers. Rainfall and snowmelt are the most common sources of recharge. The process by which water infiltrates into the ground to become groundwater is known as groundwater recharge.

Rain Gardens: Contributing to Cleaner Water in Anchorage

In many places around the world, people are building rain gardens. Rain gardens are landscaped areas planted with native vegetation that help filter rainwater that runs off our roofs, driveways, sidewalks, and our lawns. After a storm, the rain garden fills with this water and allows it to naturally filter into the ground rather than running off into the street or a storm drain system. In most places in Anchorage rainwater does not slowly filter naturally into the ground. Instead water enters our stormwater collection system and flows directly into local lakes and streams. This water can carry pollutants such as animal waste, oil from leaking cars, road salts, and fertilizers. By allowing stormwater to filter into the ground where it falls, we can reduce the impact of these pollutants on our local lakes and streams. If we allow this polluted water into our local lakes and streams, we run the risk that it could harm wildlife, including salmon populations. In addition to pollutants carried in stormwater, dust and dirt from streets and driveways contribute to cloudy, silty water and sediment build-up. This reduces the available habitat for fish and other freshwater creatures, and can negatively impact wetlands. Not only does stormwater runoff cause these problems, it also decreases groundwater recharge which is needed for healthy stream flows. Despite efforts to mitigate for these stormwater flows, reduce pollutants to streams, and control flooding, stormwater runoff continues to degrade our lakes and streams. This presents long-term threats to the quality of our local water resources. The good news is that you can help by adding a rain garden to your landscape! Rain Gardens Increase the amount of water that filters into the ground. This allows groundwater recharge that helps to maintain healthy water flows in our streams. Help protect communities from flooding and drainage problems. Safeguard streams and lakes from pollutants. These include the fertilizers and pesticides we apply to our lawns, oil and fluids from leaking cars, animal waste left on the ground, and numerous other harmful substances that can wash off lawns, roofs, and paved areas. Improve salmon habitat by reducing dirt and dust entering streams. Enhance the beauty of yards and neighborhoods. Create valuable habitat for birds, butterflies, and a host of other beneficial animals. Help educate children and adults about the impact of stormwater on local water quality.

Why Should You Install a Rain Garden?

Even if you have a limited amount of space in your yard, it can still be worthwhile to build a rain garden. Even small rain gardens can reduce, filter, and improve the water quality of stormwater runoff. Your rain garden will add to and enhance the natural features of your property and when combined with other rain gardens throughout Anchorage, will reduce runoff and provide substantial environmental benefits, and reduce costs associated with stormwater infrastructure.

Building a rain garden is perhaps the single best thing you can do to improve the water quality in your area.

Building a Rain Garden is Easy and Fun

This manual provides an easy and economical step-by-step guide to building a rain garden on your property. However, it is important to realize that this is just a guide. Your own creativity in the process will allow you to tailor the product to meet your own needs and make the experience more enjoyable. We hope this manual will be a first step in designing and building your own rain garden! There are two alternatives presented in this manual: the simple solution or the designed solution. The simple solution requires no calculations for sizing, can be placed anywhere in the yard to break up the flow of runoff, and requires minimal digging and planning. However, if you want to direct a particular water source to your rain garden we recommend developing a design using the criteria outlined in this manual. If you choose the simple solution, determine a location for your rain garden, skip ahead to Step 2: Building Your Rain Garden on page 18 and start digging! The simple solution requires that you create a depression and use plants from the recommended list. If youre not sure which solution to choose, please read over the manual and the right choice for you may become apparent.

The MOA Watershed Management Services would like to thank the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the grant which funded the development and distribution of this manual. We would also like to thank the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service, the Alaska Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Department of Natural Resources, the Plant Materials Center in Palmer, and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation for contributing to this manual.

Frequently Asked Questions

build a rain garden (or gardens) on their residential property in Anchorage can use this manual. Guidelines in this manual can also be used to treat runoff at commercial and industrial sites. However, the manual should not be used to design rain gardens for parking lots, busy streets, and other heavily used paved areas. These areas require more complex design in order to meet the demands of higher water flows, the larger amounts of sand and particles, and to meet the potential need for a higher level of water treatment.

Q. A.

Who should use this manual?

Any property owner who wants to design and

Q. A.

Is a rain garden breeding ground for mosquitoes?

No. Mosquitoes need 7 - 12 days to lay and

hatch eggs, and the standing water in a rain garden will only last a few hours after a storm. It is more likely that mosquitoes will lay eggs in bird baths and storm sewers than in a sunny rain garden. Rain gardens can actually attract dragonflies and other wildlife that eat mosquitoes!

Q. A.

Do rain gardens require a lot of maintenance?

Rain gardens are like other types of gardens in

low the water to soak into the ground so the rain garden will become dry between rainfalls. (It is important to note however that some rain gardens can be designed to include a permanent pond, but that is not covered by this manual.)

Q. A.

Does a rain garden form a pond?

No. The design of a rain garden is intended to al-

that their level of maintenance varies depending on their design. Generally, they can be maintained with little effort after the plants are established. During the first two years, weeding and watering may be needed as the plants establish themselves. Thinning in later years may be needed as the plants mature. Some gardens may require you to rake fallen leaves before snowfall to allow easier infiltration of water in the spring.

can provide the labor, and perhaps you can find some of the native plants recommended in your yard or your friends yards. If that is not an option, the main cost will be in purchasing the necessary plants and soils. In addition to providing you with this How-To Manual, the Municipality of Anchorage is offering to reimburse homeowners who install rain gardens 50 percent of the cost of installation (up to $750) based on availability of funds. To apply for this mini-grant, go to www.anchorageraingardens.com or call 343-8084.

Q. A.

Is a rain garden expensive?

It doesnt have to be. Your family and a few friends

In addition to providing you with

water quality and stormwater control. Rain gardens enhance local water quality by allowing water to naturally filter through soil instead of running through the stormwater system and out to our streams, lakes, and ponds. A simple and effective way to enhance water quality and control stormwater is through the creation of rain gardens.

Q. A.

Why are rain gardens important?

Two very important environmental issues that Anchorage is facing are

this How-To Manual, the Municipality of Anchorage is offering to reimburse homeowners that install rain gardens for 50% of the cost of installation (up to $750) based on availability of funds. To apply for this mini-grant go to www.anchorageraingardens.com or call 343-8084.

Step 1: Sizing and Siting Your Rain Garden

Step 1: Sizing and Siting Your Rain Garden

This section of the manual covers the basics of building a rain garden. This includes: where to put the rain garden, what size it needs to be, how deep to dig it, and what type of soils and slopes are best. As you follow the instructions in this section, youre on your way to a successful rain garden! Perhaps you already know the size and location of your new rain garden. If thats the case, skip ahead to the section about building your rain garden on page 20. However, we do suggest that you take the time to review the information provided in this manual about location, working with slope, and sizing your rain garden. For instance, if the location of your future rain garden has a slope greater than 12 percent, it is best to pick a different location. Slopes greater than 12 percent require a good amount of extra work to create a level garden. and the places where your yard ponds water show where infiltration is already too slow. Instead try to direct ponding water to an area where water soaks in more rapidly. Build your rain garden in full or partial sun, not directly under an established tree. This helps to dry out the garden between rains, but it also removes the risk of damaging your trees roots. Putting the rain garden in a flat part of the yard will make digging easier and the rain garden may operate more efficiently because you wont have to compensate for the slope of the surrounding landscape. Consider how you remove snow on your property. Sands and salts from roads and driveways can damage plants and compact soils in the garden.

Consider the Overall Landscape

When considering the placement of your rain garden,

Determining the Location of Your Rain Garden

Your home rain garden could be built in many locations: near the house to collect runoff from the roof, farther out on the lawn to collect water from both the roof and the lawn, or by driveways and walkways. Consider the following points before deciding. The next time it rains, observe how stormwater is carried off your property. Watching these flows might tell you where your rain garden should go. You dont want water seeping into your house, so make sure the rain garden is at least 10 feet from your house. Do not place it over your septic system. It may be tempting to put the rain garden in a part of the yard where water already ponds DONT! The goal of a rain garden is to encourage infiltration,

keep the end result in mind and give some thought to how the rain garden will be integrated into your landscape. Not only should you consider how it looks from various points in your yard, but also think of how it will look from inside your house. Think about how close or how far it will be from your outdoor gathering spaces or play areas. One suggestion is to locate your rain garden near a gathering area to take full advantage of colors and fragrances in the summer months. Figure 1 shows how a rain garden can be located in your yard, whether it is in the front or the back of your yard. The shape of the rain garden can be crescent, kidney, teardrop, or any shape you would like to see in your yard. Figure 1 shows a cross-section view and Figures 2 & 3 shows a view from above.

Dont damage your trees! Trees are great water purifiers. Large amounts of rain and snow are intercepted by branches, leaves, and needles and never reach the ground. Trees also pump huge quantities of water up from their roots and out into the air through their leaves. Be careful not to damage tree roots during rain garden construction so they can continue to do their job. Avoid digging or changing grade within the critical root zone of a tree. This is generally a circle 1 foot out from the trunk for each 1 inch of the trunks diameter as measured 6 inches up from the ground. For example, if the trunk diameter is 8 inches, do not disturb the roots within 8 feet of the tree.

What Size Should Your Rain Garden be?

The size of your rain garden depends on how much space you want to dedicate to it, and the time and money you want to invest. Any reasonably sized rain garden will be beneficial. Typical residential rain gardens range from 100 to 300 square feet. Rain gardens can be smaller than 100 square feet, but very small rain gardens will have less space for a variety of plants. If a rain garden is larger than 300 square feet it will take more time to build, and will be harder on your budget. Some factors that affect rain garden size include: Characteristics of surrounding soils Volume of stormwater runoff directed to the garden Existing slopes in proposed rain garden locations

Step 1: Sizing and Siting Your Rain Garden

The information provided here, along with other sizing factors from Tables 1 and 2, will be used to determine the surface area of the rain garden. You can use the worksheet provided at the end of this booklet to help guide you through the steps. To design your rain garden follow these seven easy steps: 1. Choose the ideal location for your rain garden based on your observations about how water flows in your yard. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Measure the slope at your potential rain garden location. Determine the soil type at the bottom of the dug out hole where treated soils will be placed. Estimate the square footage of the areas in your yard that contribute water to your rain garden. Calculate the Water quality Volume (WqV). Figure out the number of square feet that your rain garden will need to be to handle this volume of water. 7. From this square footage, plan the length and width of a rain garden that will provide the size you need, and will work with your yard and desired design. Please remember the guidelines presented in this manual are not hard and fast rules! The sizing requirements outlined here are intended to filter 100 percent of the runoff for the average rainfall in Anchorage while keeping the size reasonable. A goal of collecting 100 percent of the runoff will help balance some of the errors that tend to creep into the design and construction of any rain garden. If the guidelines in this manual are followed and the calculated surface area is too large for your yard, just

make it smaller. Any rain garden is better than none, and it will still control some of the runoff. The rain garden could be made deeper to accommodate the reduced surface area. Similarly, it is fine to make a rain garden bigger than these guidelines indicate. However, if you choose to make the rain garden larger than the guidelines, consider plants that survive in drier conditions.

Depth of Your Rain Garden

A typical rain garden in Anchorage should have a ponding depth (depression) of about 6-8 inches deep. A ponding depth more than 8 inches might hold water for too long, might look like a hole in the ground, or could present a tripping hazard. A ponding depth less than 6 inches will require additional surface area to provide it with enough water storage to handle larger storms. An optional layer of mulch can be placed on the ponding layer. If you are filtering fine sediment through your rain garden, a 1-2 inch layer of mulch will filter sediment and prevent build-up or clogging in the rain garden. The mulch is easy to replace if it becomes clogged with sediment. Regardless of the size or placement of the garden, the goal is to keep the rain garden as level as possible. The planting soil required will depend upon the soils available on your property. As a general rule the recommended soil type should be 50-60 percent sand, 20-30 percent compost, and 20-30 percent topsoil. Create this mix by adding the desired amounts of the components needed during excavation, and removing

10

a portion of the existing soils. This layer will be around 18 inches in depth. In order to get the drainage youll need for your rain garden, dig down deeper than the final rain garden will appear. We recommended that you dig down 2-3 feet to make room for drainage materials. At this depth you may consider installing a gravel under-drain that is about 12 inches deep and consists of pea gravel, and above that a 6-inch optional layer of sand (Figure 4). For infiltration of snowmelt and on sites with less permeable soil types, consider building in a gravel trench or under-drain pipe that empties onto your lawn or street gutter at the bottom of your garden to provide additional storage for larger storm events, and snowmelt. The under-drain pipe or gravel trench will ensure infiltration into underlying soils.

Determining Slope
Your yard should slope toward your rain garden, but the planting section in center of the rain garden should be kept as level as possible. Rain gardens are simplest when installed on slopes of less than 12 percent. A rain garden on a steep lawn will require extra topsoil to make sure the down-slope rim is up to the same height as the up-slope rim of the garden. The slope of your lawn and contributing surfaces (roofs, driveway, etc.) will determine the size factor when calculating the area of your rain garden. Finding the slope of your lawn can be done by the following method (Refer to Figure 5 to see how the stakes and strings should look). 1. Pound one stake into the ground on the uphill side of your proposed rain garden site, and pound another stake in at the downhill side. The stakes should be at least 15 feet apart for this to work properly.

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Step 1: Sizing and Siting Your Rain Garden

2. 3.

Tie a string to the bottom of the uphill stake and run the string to the downhill stake. Using a carpenters level, tie the string to the downhill stake so that the string is level between the two stakes.

rain garden to function properly. Your soils may drain readily, but it is also possible that they may need to be amended to provide good drainage, or may not be suitable for a rain garden at all. Accurately determining your soil type will prevent any unwanted failures. To determine how well a rain garden will perform in your yard the soil type must be identified as sandy, silty, or clayey. Sandy soils have the fastest infiltration, and clayey soils have the slowest because the pore spaces in clayey soils are so small that it is difficult for water to pass through them. Rain gardens in clayey soils must be larger than rain gardens in sandy or silty soils. One way to determine the soil type is to feel the soil in your hand. If the soil feels very gritty and coarse, the soil is probably sandy. If the soil is smooth but not sticky, the soil is probably silty. If the soil is sticky and clumpy, it is probably clayey.

4. 5. 6.

Measure the length of string (in inches) between the two stakes. Measure the height (in inches) on the downhill stake between the ground and the string. Divide the height by the length and multiply the result by 100 to find the lawns percent slope. If the slope is greater than 12 percent, it is best to find an alternate location for your rain garden or consult a professional landscaper, as significant excavation may be required.

Simple Soil Tests

Two tests can be done to determine if your soil is appropriate for a rain garden. You will have to deter-

Example for Determining Slope

If the length of the string between the stakes is 180 inches long, and the height at the downhill stake is 9 inches, you would divide the height by the length and multiply by 100 to find the lawns percent slope: (Height Length) x 100 = % slope (9 in. 180 in.) x 100 = 5 % slope

mine soil hydraulic conductivity using one of the two tests below. If you perform Soil Test #1 the appropriate hydraulic conductivity is found in Table 1. Soil Test #2 is a test that directly measures the hydraulic conductivity. If you perform Soil Test #2, your measurement is the hydraulic conductivity of your rain garden.

Soil Tests: Test #1 Determining Soil Types at Your Rain Garden Site
Determining the soil type at your garden site is a very important step for calculating the size required for your Test #1 has two steps. The first involves digging a hole 8 inches wide and 8 inches deep to see how long it takes a bucket of water to sink into the soil. The level of the water should go down at a rate of about 1 inch per hour.

12

If it takes longer than that, you will need to improve infiltration by digging a deeper hole or installing a gravel under-drain. The second part of Soil Test #1 involves taking a handful of soil and dampening it with a few drops of water. Knead the soil between your forefinger and thumb, and squeeze it into a ball. If it remains a ball, roll it into a ribbon of uniform thickness. Allow the ribbon to emerge and extend over your forefinger until it breaks from its own weight. If the soil forms a ribbon more than an inch long before it breaks and it feels more smooth than gritty, the soil has too much clay and is not suitable for a rain garden. Table 1 will help you determine the rate at which storm water will infiltrate into the ground on your property. This characteristic of your soil is known as the hydraulic conductivity. If your soil type is clayey a rain garden may not be right for you.

Table 1: Hydraulic Conductivity Based on Soil Type from Test #1

Soil Type Sandy Silty Clayey Hydraulic Conductivity (in./hr) 0.43 0.26 0.04

Soil Tests: Test #2

Soil Test #2 is the most accurate test, and will directly measure the hydraulic conductivity that is specific to your yard. This involves purchasing a PVC pipe about 1 foot long and 4-10 inches in diameter. Dig a hole to the desired rain garden depth (approximately 3 feet deep), and pound the pipe into the soil to a depth of about 4-6 inches. Then fill the pipe with water and measure the depth of the water in inches within the pipe. Measure the depth of the water every 6-12 hours to calculate hydraulic conductivity. For example, since hydraulic conductivity is measured in inches per hour, if you measure the initial water height at 6 inches, and you check back in 12 hours and the water height has dropped to 3 inches, you can calculate the conductivity by dividing 3 by 12. The hydraulic conductivity in this example is 0.25 inches/hour. If your soil type is clayey, a rain garden may not be right for you. You may be able to compensate for the lower infiltration rate by digging the garden deeper and adding a foot or more of gravel or pea gravel. If you are unsure

*Source: Adapted from Rawls, Brakensiek, and Miller, 1983

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Step 1: Sizing and Siting Your Rain Garden

about performing these tests please contact the Municipality of Anchorage, Watershed Management Services at (907) 343-8084 or view our website at www.anchorageraingardens.com. Other websites outside Alaska are listed below:
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/cso/rain-garden.asp http://www.raingardens.org/Index.php http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/wm/nps/rg/links.htm http://www.arc.govt.nz/library/f43363_2.pdf http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/wm/nps/rg/index.htm

sidewalk, driveway, or patio. Walk around your house and figure out what areas will contribute water to your rain garden. This includes estimating the amount of roof area that will shed water toward your garden. If you have a peaked roof, not all of the water that hits your roof will enter your rain garden. 2. For your roof, estimate the amount of area that it will contribute. You can figure this out by measuring your houses length and width. Multiply the two together to find the approximate area of your roof. 3. Finally, multiply the roof area by the percent of the roof that will contribute water to your rain garden. When added to the other areas that provide water (driveways, sidewalks, patios, etc.) this number will be the drainage area used to size your rain garden.

Determining the Area Draining to Your Rain Garden

The next step for determining the size of your rain garden is to find the area that will be draining into it. As the size of the drainage area increases, the size of the rain garden should also increase. There is often some guesswork involved in determining the size of a drainage area, especially if a large part of the lawn is upslope from the proposed rain garden site. The suggestions below can help to estimate the drainage. 2. If your proposed rain garden is more than 30 feet from the house and you do not wish to have a swale or a downspout cutting across your lawn, you can run a PVC pipe underground from your downspout to the rain garden or install a gravel filled-trough. 4. Rain gardens less than 30 feet from the water source: 1. In this case, where the rain garden is close to the source (Figures 1 and 2), almost all of the water collected will come from the roof downspout, 3.

If there is a significant area of lawn that also feeds the rain garden add this lawn area to your total. Rain gardens more than 30 feet from the water source: 1. If there is a significant area of lawn uphill that will also drain to the rain garden (Figures 1 and 2), add this lawn area to the drainage area of the roof/ driveway/patio/sidewalk. First, find the contributing drainage area by the suggested method above. Next find the area of the lawn that will drain into the rain garden. Stand where your rain garden will be and identify the part of the lawn that is sloping into the rain garden. Measure the length and width of the uphill lawn, and multiply to find the square footage of the lawn. Add the lawn area to the roof drainage area to find the total drainage area.

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Example for determining drainage area:

If your house measures 60 feet by 40 feet, the roof area would be (60 ft x 40 ft) = 2400 sq. ft. If you estimate that only 25 percent of the roof area contributes water, you would multiply 2400 square feet by 0.25 to get the downspout drainage area of 600 square feet. If you have planned to place the rain garden more than 30 feet from the downspout, the lawn runoff will be contributing to the garden as well. If the lawn upslope of the proposed garden location is 40 feet by 40 feet, the lawn area would be (40 ft. x 40 ft.) = 1600 sq. ft. Summary: Roof Area = 2400 sq.ft. Lawn Area = 1600 sq.ft.

Using the Rain Garden Sizing Criteria

After estimating the drainage area, and soil type you can determine how much water will be directed into your rain garden. This volume of water is known as the Water quality Volume (WqV). Table 2 is used to determine which multiplier is used for the WqV based on characteristics of your contributing drainage area. The equation to determine WqV is: WqV = (Rainfall) x (Size Factor) x (Contributing Area) The size factor you will use comes from Table 2, contributing area comes from the amount calculated in the previous section, and the rainfall amount for calculating WqV in Anchorage is 1.25 inches (0.104 feet). The WqV is the storage volume required to treat approximately 90 percent of the average annual stormwater runoff volume. The amount of rainfall used for the WqV calculation comes from analysis of rainfall records (Municipality of Anchorage, Watershed Management Services, Anchorage Intensity-Duration-Frequency Curves Update, Nov. 2006). The following steps must be followed to calculate the WqV: 1. For each type of surface contributing water to your rain garden, find the size factor that is listed in Table 2 for the slope you calculated for your proposed rain garden location. 2. 3. Multiply these size factors by the contributing area of that surface type. Add the results for each surface type together, and multiply this sum by 0.104 feet. This is the WqV!

Table 2: Size Factor Based on Slope

Landcover Lawn Driveway or Sidewalk Gravel Roof 0.75 0.25 0.85 0.80 0.30 0.86 0.85 0.35 0.87 Slope 0-2% 0.17 Slope 2-6% 0.22 Slope over 6% 0.35

*Source: Adapted from MOA Design Criteria Manual Draft 2006

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Step 1: Sizing and Siting Your Rain Garden

Example for Determining Water quality Volume

If the contributing area is 600 square feet, and the estimated slope of your roof is 5 percent, your size factor from Table 2 would be 0.86. Multiply 600 square feet by 0.86 to get 516, and then multiply by 0.104 feet. to get a

Determining the Ideal Size of Your Rain Garden

To determine the area of your rain garden you will need to have calculated the Water quality Volume (WqV), and either determined your soil type to find hydraulic conductivity from Soil Test #1 or Soil Test #2. The calculation for the rain garden area follows the formula below. Area of Rain Garden = [0.46 x (WqV)] Hydraulic Conductivity (Table 1)
*Note: The multiplier (0.46) is derived from values determined to be site-specific for the Anchorage area and conversion factors, provided by the Municipality of Anchorages Watershed Management Services.

final WqV result of 53.66 cubic feet. 600 sq. ft. x 0.86 = 516 sq. ft. 516 sq. ft. x 0.104 ft. = 53.66 cu. ft. for WqV So the WqV for the roof is 53.66 cubic feet. We also need to add the WqV for the lawn. Since the contributing area for the lawn is 1600 square feet, the slope is 5 percent, and the size factor is 0.22, we calculate the lawns WqV by following the steps below. 1600 sq. ft. x 0.22 =352 sq. ft. 352 sq. ft. x 0.104 ft. = 36.6 cu. ft. for WqV So the WqV for the lawn is 36.6 cubic feet To find the total WqV add the two calculated values together. Summary: WqV (roof ) = 53.66 cubic feet WqV (lawn) = 36.6 cubic feet Total WqV = 90.3 cubic feet

16

Determining Length and Width of Your Rain Garden: Choose a Rain Garden Size that is Best for Your Yard
Remember that these are only guidelines. The size of your rain garden will also depend on how much money you want to spend, how much available space you have, and how much of the total runoff you want to control. Again, you can reduce the size of your rain garden and still control a portion of your runoff. If the sizing calculations suggest that your rain garden should be 200 square feet, but you only have room for a 140 square foot rain garden, that will be fine. A smaller rain garden will usually work to control most stormwater runoff, although some bigger storms might overflow your garden. To increase the effectiveness of a smaller garden, a gravel under-drain will help to control more water (Figure 4).

Example for Determining Rain Garden Area

We will use the total WqV value from the previous example of 90.3 cubic feet. If your soil test determined you had silty soils then the Hydraulic Conductivity from Table 1 would be 0.26 inches/hour. Using the calculation provided above: Multiply 0.46 by WqV 0.46 x 90.3 cu. ft. = 41.6 Divide that result by the Hydraulic

Before building your rain garden, you need to think about how it will catch the water. The water entering the garden should be spread out evenly across its entire length. In order to do this, the rain garden must be as level as possible so water will fill it evenly, and not pool at one end or overflow at a low point on the rim. The longer side of the rain garden should face up-slope. This means that the length of the rain garden should be perpendicular to the slope and the source of water (Figure 2). This ensures that the garden catches as much stormwater as possible. Still, the rain garden should be wide enough for the water to spread evenly across the bottom and should also provide ample space for a variety of plants. A general rule of thumb is to build the rain garden about twice as long (perpendicular to the slope) as it is wide (parallel to the slope). Think about the slope of your lawn when determining the width of the garden. Rain gardens that are wide or rain gardens on steep slopes will need to be dug deeper on one side to make sure they are level (Figure 6).

Conductivity of 0.26 inches/hour. 41.6 0.26 = 160 sq. ft. The area of the rain garden should be 160 square feet!

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Step 1: Sizing and Siting Your Rain Garden

If the rain garden is built too wide, you may need additional soil to get the downhill edge to the right height. Often, making a rain garden about 10 feet wide will be a good compromise between slope effects and how deep the rain garden should be. The rain garden should have a maximum width of 15 feet, especially on lawns that have more than an 8 percent slope (Figure 2).

Example for Calculating the Length of Your Rain Garden

If you have decided to make your rain garden 10 feet wide, and the area of your rain garden calculated earlier was 150 square feet, you would divide 150 square feet by 10 feet. This means the garden would have a length of 15 feet.

The following steps can be followed to determine the length of the rain garden. 1. Pick a width (perpendicular to the slope) that best suits your lawn and landscaping for your rain garden. 2. Divide the predetermined size of your rain garden by the width to calculate the length (parallel to the slope) of the garden.

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Notes:

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Step 2: Building Your Rain Garden

Step 2: Building Your Rain Garden

CALL BEFORE YOU DIG! You can reach the Alaska digline at 278-3121 in Anchorage, or Statewide at 1-800-478-3121. A locator will come to your home and mark all the underground utilities in the area of your proposed rain garden free-of-charge. Before you begin digging make sure you have all the appropriate tools: Tape measure Shovels Rakes Trowels Carpenters level Wood stakes (at least 2 feet long) String 2x4 board, at least 6 feet long (optional) Small Backhoe with Caterpillar Treads (optional) Tarp to place excavation soils on (optional) On a steeper lawn the lower part of the rain garden can be filled in with the soil from the uphill half. If you are building a rain garden into an existing lawn, digging time can be reduced by killing the grass first. To kill the grass place black plastic over the area until the grass dies. The best time of year to build the rain garden is in the spring when the ground is easier to dig and plants are most likely to thrive. In Anchorage the ground may be frozen until mid-May. This is the ideal time to start digging and planting. Now that the size and location of the rain garden have been established, its time to start digging. If you work alone it could take up to 6 hours to dig out an average sized rain garden. With the help of friends it can go much faster, and possibly take only an hour or two. To ensure the garden is flat and retains the appropriate ponding level, start at one end of the garden and tie a string to the uphill stake at the ground level. Tie the same string to the coinciding downhill stake and make sure that the string stays level. Working in five feet wide sections with one string at a time is a good way to start Depending on your site, you may need to bring in extra soil to create a berm of the required height. Figure 7 shows how the berm should be placed at the gardens edge. After shaping the berm into a smooth ridge about a foot across, you should stomp on it. It is important to have a well compacted berm that keeps the water inside the garden, so stomp really hard! The berm should have gently sloping sides so that the rest of the garden is somewhat integrated with the surrounding lawn, and is less susceptible to erosion. As you dig out the depression for your garden, place the soil you remove so that it forms the berm that will become the rim of your garden. The berm is a low wall around three sides of your rain garden that will form the depression that holds water in during a storm event.

Digging Your Rain Garden

You should mark the edge of your garden to give you a guide for where to dig. One way to do this is to lay a string around the perimeter of your rain garden. The berm will go outside the string. Now is also a good time to put stakes along the uphill and downhill sides of the garden, and line them up so that each uphill stake has a stake directly downhill from it. Place one stake about every five feet along the length of the garden. These will be used to check that the rim of your garden is level.

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digging. If you try to dig with too many strings in place at one time, the strings may become an obstacle. Start digging at the uphill side of the string. Going down from the string, dig until you reach the depth you want your rain garden to be. For example, if the rain garden ponding depth is eight inches deep, then dig eight inches down from the string (Figure 6). If the lawn is almost flat, you will begin digging at the same depth throughout the rain garden and the soil you remove will form the berm. If the lawn is steeper, the high end will have to be dug out noticeably further than the lower end. Some of the soil from the upper end can be used in the lower end to make the rain garden level. Continue digging, filling one section at a time across the length of your rain garden until it is as level as possible. If you are adding the gravel under-drain the soils will need to be removed to add the gravel, and then replaced evenly over the top.

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Step 2: Building Your Rain Garden

Now that you have your berms level to create a rim and have the depression you need, you should amend the soils within the garden if needed. A roto-tiller can make mixing easier, but is not necessary. If you are going to add to the existing soils the garden should be dug slightly deeper. In general the soils under the ponding depth should be loosened or amended down 2-3 feet with the recommended soil mixture: 50-60 percent sand, 20-30 percent compost, and 20-30 percent topsoil. The outcome you are looking for is a flat planting bed in a depressed area where the uphill side allows water to pour into it from adjacent surfaces. If you build your garden into a mound of soil that is above the lawn level, water will be diverted around the garden and will not be contained within it to soak into underlying soils.

or planting it with grass. Planting with grass or covering with mulch will ensure that weeds dont establish themselves while the berm is bare. If you choose to plant the berm with grass, use a light layer of mulch to cover the seeded berm and protect it from erosion while the grass takes root. If you dont want to plant grass or mulch over the berm, you could use drought-tolerant plants such as Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans), Creeping Jenny (Lisimachia nummularia), Aleutian Speadwell (Veronica grandiflora) and Wooly Thyme (Thymus pseudolanginosus). You should still use mulch to protect the berm from erosion as the plants establish themselves. If your downspout is located a few feet from the entry to the rain garden, make sure the water is directed into the rain garden by digging a shallow grass swale or

Leveling Your Rain Garden

One way to check if your rain garden is level is just to eyeball it. If you do not trust your eyeball then the following steps can be used to increase accuracy. When the whole area has been dug out to about the right depth, lay a 2x4 board about 3 feet long in the rain garden and place a carpenters level on top of it. Find all the spots that are not flat, and fill in the low places, and dig out the high places. Move the 2x4 to various locations in different directions, and fill and dig as necessary to make the surface level. When you have made the garden as level as you can get it, rake the soil smooth. Once you have finished moving your soil, shaping it into shallow slopes and compacting the berm, you will need to prevent soil erosion by covering the berm with mulch

attaching an extension to the downspout. Try to encourage the water entering the garden to be directed evenly along the front by incorporating rock or widening the entrance channel. If the flow from your downspout is fast or heavy, place some rocks in its path to lessen its force and reduce potential erosion.

Tips for Designing an Attractive Rain Garden

While a rain gardens first function is to help protect water quality, it will also function as an attractive feature in your yard and neighborhood. In designing your rain garden think of the garden within the context of your overall existing or proposed landscape design. The following sections outline some tips for designing an attractive rain garden.

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When choosing plants for your garden, it is important to consider the height of each plant, bloom time, color, and overall texture. To create a continual, aesthetically pleasing garden, use plants that bloom at various times throughout the season to create a longer flowering season. Heights, shapes, and textures should be mixed to give the garden depth and dimension. This will keep the rain garden looking fresh and interesting when flowers are not in bloom. When laying out plants for the garden, use individual species in groups of 3-7 (using an odd number of plants is more pleasing to the eye in informal gardens). By planting in groupings, your garden will have a greater overall visual impact and result in a more cohesive design. Use only single plants when you want to accent or create a focal point. Try to incorporate a diverse mixture of flowering species along with grasses and sedges if possible. This creates the necessary root competition for plants to follow normal growth patterns and not out-compete other species. You may also want to consider plants that add structure to your garden during the non-growing season to add variety to your winter landscape. In natural areas, plant diversity adds beauty and a thick underground root matrix that keeps the plant community in balance. Once the rain garden has matured and roots have been established there will be less species change in the coming years. Consider enhancing the rain garden by incorporating local or existing rocks, ornamental fences, trails, garden benches, or other decorative elements. This helps give a newly planted garden an intentional look that provides a feeling of neatness your neighbors will appreciate.

The outcome you are looking for is a flat planting bed in a depressed area where the uphill side allows water to pour into it from adjacent surfaces.

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Step 3: Planting and Maintaining Your Rain Garden

Step 3: Planting and Maintaining Your Rain Garden

Planting the garden is the fun part! Planting designs and a list of suggested plants are at the end of this manual. There is no single best way to plant a rain garden, so be creative and show your individuality! If you are an experienced gardener you should have no problems planting a rain garden, but if you are not experienced, look for planting tips in the following sections. As you plant, place the plant labels next to the individual plants or groupings. This way you can readily identify your young plants, and work around them as you weed your garden. You may also want to make a map of your rain garden in case the labels get lost. growing season unless you use mulch as a weed control or if you like the look of mulch.

Planting Your Rain Garden

When you are buying plants, be sure to select plants that have a well-established root system. In general, bigger plants will have better root systems that help a rain garden activate its water filtering function more quickly. Make sure to have a rough idea as to which plants will be planted where, and lay out the plants in your garden according to your plan. Many plants purchased from garden centers will have labels indicating, among other things, the recommended spacing. While laying out the plants, keep them in their containers until they are planted, and remember to keep your plants watered to prevent them from drying out. Dig a hole for the plant wider than the root-ball and deep enough so that the crown of the plant is level with the existing grade. Fill the hole by firmly tapping around the roots to get rid of air pockets. If the roots are visible at the sides of the container, try to gently break them up with your fingers and spread them so they point out into the soil as you plant them. Next, apply mulch evenly over the bed at a depth of 1-2 inches without burying the crown of the new transplants. Mulching is not necessary after the second

As a general rule, plants need at least 1 inch of water every week (an inch of water is about 6 gallons per yard). You should water immediately after planting and continue to water at least twice a week until the transplants establish themselves (unless it rains enough to soak the soils). You can add transplants at any time during the growing season as long as they are getting enough water.

Maintaining Your Rain Garden

You will need to weed your garden by hand on a regular basis for the first couple of years. Weed by hand, and remove only the plants you are certain are weeds. When removing weeds, be sure to get all of the roots as sometimes root pieces left behind will grow into a new weed. Weeds may not be as much of a problem the second season, depending on the variety and tenacity of weeds present and how closely you spaced your perennials when planting. In the third year and beyond, the species planted should begin to mature and out-compete the weeds. Occasional weeding will be needed for the life of your garden. If you prefer a tidy garden you can cut back dead stems in the fall. In the wild, dead stems are overgrown by new growth in the spring. You can also choose not to let

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plants grow too close together by controlling the size and mulching in between. Lawn grass may encroach into the bed of the garden. You may find it useful to install an edge around the garden to prevent grass from encroaching into the garden.

Cost of Building a Rain Garden

The cost of installing a rain garden will vary depending on who does the work and where you obtain your plants. If you grow your own plants, or get them from neighbors or friends there will be very little cost. If you do all the work, but purchase plants, the garden will cost approximately $3-5/square foot. If a landscaper does everything, it will cost about $10-12/square foot. It might seem easier to sow native wildflower seeds over the garden, but seeding a rain garden this way can cause problems. Perennial plants are slow to establish from seed and the rain garden would require a lot of weeding until the plants are established. This could take 2-4 years. Most wildflower seed mixes contain very few species native to Alaska. These non-native mixes also usually contain a large number of annuals and to look best, they would have to be replanted every year. A rain garden needs to be planted with perennials to work properly. Growing plants from seeds sown indoors can take one to two years to properly establish themselves for planting outdoors unless they are a really aggressive species. Dividing up plants already established from you or your neighbors yard is much easier. If you decide to grow plants yourself, start them about one to two years before you plan to move them into the rain garden. When the roots have filled the pot, and the plants are healthy, they are ready to be planted in the rain garden. In general it is not recommended to plant annuals in a rain garden except for decorative purposes, or to add color early in the season if desired.

In general it is not recommended to plant annuals in a rain garden except for decorative purposes, or to add color early in the season if desired.

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Rain Garden Suggested Plant Lists

The following is a plant list for rain gardens in Anchorage. Remember that the design possibilities for your garden are almost limitless. Many greenhouses sell non-native forget-me-nots that are very aggressive, and should be avoided. Be sure to check whether you are getting the species from this list if you wish to use plants that are native to Alaska.
Latin Name SHRUBS Aronia melanocarpa *Cornus sericea Cornus sericea flaviramea *Viburnum edule **Willow Myrica gale PERENNIALS **Aquilegia *Aruncus dioicus Columbine Goats Beard All Summer Early Summer Late spring Late spring Spring Spring Spring Spring/ Summer All Summer Early Summer Early Summer Late Summer Spring Spring/ Summer Summer Summer Spring/ Summer Late summer varies ivory white purple pink blue/violet white purple/brown violet purple/white yellow purple/white yellow yellow/ gold blue/ purple blue/pink blue pink/white/purple yellow/ orange white/pink 6-36 in. 5 feet 3-4 feet 12 in. 24-36 in. 3-10 feet 30-36 in. 18 in. 12-18 in. 30-36 in. 12-24 in. 12 in. 18-30 in. 18-30 in 36-60 in. 36-48 in. 18-30 in. 4-12 in. 12-36 in. 36-48 in. 24-36 in. 18-60 in. 12 in. 24 in. 2 feet 12 in. 18-24 in. 2-3 feet 24-30 in. 5-6 in. 12 in. 24-30 in. 12 in. 12 in. 18 in. 18 in 24 in. 24-30 in. 18 in. 12 in. 12 in. 18 in. 12 in. 24-36 in. Black Chokeberry Red-twig Dogwood Highbush Cranberry Willow Sweet Gale Early Summer Spring Spring white white white varies white 3-4 feet 3 feet Yellow-twig Dogwood Early Summer 3-5 feet 5-8 feet 5-8 feet 4-8 feet 4 feet 5 feet 5 feet 3 feet Common Name Bloom Time Bloom Color Height Spacing

**Aconitum delphinifolium Monkshood *Dodecatheon pulchellum Shooting Star *Geranium erianthum *Oplopanax horridus *Athyrium felix-femina *Frittilaria camschatcensis **Dodecatheon *Dryopteris dilitata *Geranium erianthum Hemerocallis stella de oro *Iris setosa Iris psuadacoris Ligularia (x2) stenocephala/ przewalskii *Matteuccia struthiopteris *Mertensia *Myosotis alpestris **Polemonium Thalictrum Trollius Filipendula GRASSES AND SEDGES *Carex gmelini Miscanthus sinesis *Deschampsia cespitosa **Elymus mollis Native Sedge Red Flame Grass Tufted Hair Grass Wild Rye Late Summer Late Summer The Rocket/ Ligularia Ostrich Fern Bluebells Forget-Me-Not Jacobs Ladder Meadow Rue Globeflower Meadowsweet Wild Geranium Devils Club Lady Fern Chocolate Lily Shooting Star Wood Fern Cranesbill Geranium Stella de Oro Daylily Alaska Wild Iris Iris

36 in. Silver/white 3-4 feet 1-3 feet Gold/ Silver/ Purple/ Green 2-3 feet

30 in. 24 in. 1-2 feet 12 in.

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* Indicates Native Plant Species

** Indicates Native or Non-Native Plant Species

Rain Garden Layout Example

Cornus sericea

Athyrium felix-femina

Ligularia var

Geranium var

Dodecatheon

Mertensia var

Myosotis

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Rain Garden Worksheet: Sizing and Siting the Rain Garden

1. Chose a location for your rain garden 2. Determining slope (Height Length) x 100 = % slope ( in. in.) x 100 = % slope 3. Determining soils type Soil Test 1: Rate and texture Dig an 8-inch x 8-inch hole and fill with a bucket of water. The water level should go down 1 in./hr. Your hole drained water in./hr. Other areas providing water to your gardens: Driveway: ft. x ft. = sq. ft. Patio: ft. x ft. = sq. ft. Sidewalks: ft. x ft. = sq. ft. Lawn: ft. x ft. = sq. ft. 5. Rain garden sizing criteria (Rainfall) x (Size Factor) x (Contributing Area) = WqV (Anchorage rainfall is 0.104 feet) Roof WqV: 0.104 ft. x sq. ft. x sq. ft. = sq. ft. = sq. ft. = sq. ft. = sq. ft. = cubic feet cubic feet cubic feet cubic feet cubic feet

Ribbon test: Does your soil form a ribbon? More than one inch? How does your soil feel? smooth sandy gritty other

Driveway WqV: 0.104 ft. x sq. ft. x Patio WqV: 0.104 ft. x sq. ft. x

Soil Test 2: Measuring the hydraulic conductivity Measure the initial water depth within the pipe. in. Measure the water depth at 6 or 12 hours. If you measured it at 6 hours: in. 6 hrs. = in./hr. If you measured it at 12 hours: in. 12 hrs. = in./hr. 4. Determining drainage area Estimate the percent of your roof area shedding water toward your garden. % (Remember to divide by 100 before multiplying the percent with the roof area.) Houses (length) x (width) = area of roof ft. x ft. = sq. ft. (Roof area) x (% of roof contributing) = Actual area of roof shedding water sq. ft. x %= sq. ft. Roof: ft. x ft. = sq. ft.

Sidewalk WqV: 0.104 ft. x sq. ft. x Lawn WqV: 0.104 ft. x sq. ft. x

Total WqV: (Roof WqV) + (Driveway WqV) + (Patio WqV) + (Sidewalk WqV) + (Lawn WqV) = Total ft3 + ft3 + ft3 + ft3 + ft3 = ft3

6. Determining the ideal size of your rain garden Area of your rain garden= [0.46 x (WqV)] hydraulic conductivity (Table 1) [0.46 x cubic feet] = sq. ft.

7. Decide on the length and width of your rain garden Area width = length sq. ft. ft. = ft.

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Watershed Management Division Municipality of Anchorage 4700 Elmore Road Anchorage, AK 99507 (907) 343-8084 anchorageraingardens@muni.org

For more information on rain gardens visit:

www.anchorageraingardens.com