When it comes to landscape planning, drainage, despite being crucial for optimal growth, is often overlooked. Whether your soil has naturally poor drainage or you’re simply looking for a more sustainable drainage system, this post has three ideas for eco-friendly drainage solutions: rain gardens and bioswales, permeable paving, and rainwater harvesting. Permeable pavers are great drainage solutions for homeowners with high moisture levels. Rain Garden & Bioswale Drainage Solutions Bioswales and rain gardens often work together and are easy to mix up because they have similar functions. They’re both designed to manage stormwater and have similar benefits, such as reducing flood risk and protecting water quality. Rain Gardens Rain gardens are dug-out areas of your property planted with native species that can tolerate moisture. They’re often placed near downspouts or in areas with standing water because they’re designed to increase water infiltration into the ground. It’s also common to see a combination of plants and rock mulch, but it depends on your soil conditions. These gardens don’t require mowing, fertilizing, herbicides, or pesticides, but if designed improperly, they can contribute to drainage problems like flooding and erosion. Rain gardens are usually smaller than bioswales and better suited to residential properties. Bioswales Bioswales are ditches often along property lines, roads, or drainage easements. While they are designed to allow for some water infiltration, the main goal of a bioswale is to move water to another part of the property. It’s common for a bioswale to direct water into a rain garden, as rain gardens prioritize water infiltration. Bioswales help reduce stormwater runoff, protecting streams and lakes from pollution. They also provide habitats for birds and pollinators and improve air quality. However, they’re more expensive and complicated to build than rain gardens, which is part of the reason why you’re more likely to see them in residential areas. Permeable Paving Drainage Solutions Permeable paving, also known as porous pavement, is a landscaping material that allows water to drain into the ground beneath it. It’s commonly used in driveways, walkways, and patios. Four types of permeable paving are permeable pavers, interlocking permeable pavers, porous asphalt, and loose gravel. Rainwater harvesting can be attached to downspouts for a sustainable drainage system. Permeable Pavers Permeable pavers are environmentally friendly pavers that can help with drainage issues commonly found with concrete or asphalt. They can be made with a more porous concrete or asphalt material, however, or from plastic and filled with grass or gravel. Interlocking permeable pavers are similar, except they have larger gaps between joints. Their drainage capabilities, in conjunction with their interlocking strength, make them well-suited for areas with higher moisture. Porous Asphalt and Loose Gravel As previously mentioned, porous asphalt is a type of permeable paving that allows water to seep through the surface and infiltrate the underlying rock bed. From there, the water can replenish water tables and penetrate the soil. Loose gravel works similarly; it just doesn’t come in paver form. Rainwater Harvesting Drainage Solution Rainwater harvesting is the act of collecting and storing rainwater for later use. Its goal is to make water available for future use and to restore groundwater levels. There are three ways to harvest rainwater: rooftop harvesting, surface runoff harvesting, and a rain barrel. A rain barrel is the easiest of the three methods, as rainwater can simply be collected in a rain barrel. Rooftop harvesting is similar in that water is collected from a roof, stored in a tank or cistern, or even redirected to an artificial recharge system. Surface runoff harvesting collects water that flows away as surface runoff and uses it to recharge aquifers. Rainwater harvesting typically needs to be implemented along with another method. That said, it can be as simple as connecting it to a downspout, bioswale, or catch basin. These low-cost solutions drain and provide usable water simultaneously. Conclusion In conclusion, sustainable drainage systems involve building some type of water basin and waiting for the rain to come. They’re low maintenance and low cost, and they both drain and provide your household with usable water. There’s nothing better than a multi-functional, sustainable system that isn’t expensive to install.