10,000 Raingardens



                                        
The purpose of a rain garden is to improve water quality in nearby bodies of water. Rain gardens can cut down on the amount of pollution reaching creeks and streams by up to 30%. Native plants are recommended for rain gardens because they generally do not require fertilizer and are more tolerant of one’s local climate, soil, and water conditions, and attract local wildlife such as native birds. The plants -a selection of wetland edge vegetation, such as wildflowers, sedges, rushes, ferns, shrubs and small trees -take up excess water flowing into the rain garden.
                               

Water filters through soil layers before entering the groundwater system. Root systems enhance infiltration, maintain or even augment soil permeability, provide moisture redistribution, and sustain diverse microbial populations involved in biofiltration. Also, through the process of transpiration, rain garden plants return water vapor to the atmosphere. A more wide-ranging definition covers all the possible elements that can be used to capture, channel, divert, and make the most of the natural rain and snow that falls on a property. The whole garden can become a rain garden, and each component of the whole can become a small-scale rain garden in itself.

Melbourne homes, schools and local government have been congratulated on helping to reach a target of 10,000 Raingardens across the region - and others are being encouraged to follow suit to help protect waterways. The Melbourne Water 10,000 Raingarden Program was launched in 2008 and has since worked with landowners across the Port Phillip and Westernport region to achieve 10,000 raingardens across this area.

                                                              

Raingardens look like a normal garden, only traditionally they are made up of sandy layers to help filter stormwater from hard surfaces such as roofs and roads before it flows into rivers, creeks and ultimately the bay. Raingardens help in two ways:
• removing harmful pollutants from stormwater through layers of sandy soil and plants, preventing them from entering local waterways
• slow down the flow of stormwater to prevent riverbank erosion and destruction of habitat for native animals such as platypus and fish.

General Manager of Waterways, David Ryan, said about 500 billion litres of stormwater a year is washed off residential roofs, driveways and roads into waterways and the bay."Stormwater pollution is one of the biggest threats to Melbourne's 8400km of rivers and creeks, with the problem increasing the more Melbourne grows," Mr Ryan said. "Healthy waterways and abundant wildlife are an important part of maintaining Melbourne's status as one of the world's most liveable cities. 10,000 raingardens will go a long way to protecting local rivers and creeks for everyone to enjoy," he said.
Keysha Milenkovic, Project Leader 10,000 Raingardens, said raingardens were self-watering, easy to maintain and look great in both wet and dry periods. "Raingardens can take many forms and we certainly saw some very creative designs throughout this program which blended well into their surrounds, including raised planter box raingardens and swales," Ms Milenkovic said. "Every raingarden makes a difference and now we have over 10,000 across Melbourne. We congratulate everyone who built a raingarden and was part of this program, and encourage more people to do the same," she said.

                                             
A number of public raingardens can be seen across Melbourne including Federation Square car park, Lambert St Richmond and Edinburgh Gardens North Fitzroy.



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