Rain Gardens to Help Polluted Waterways
By: Sophie Nielsen-Kolding WMBD/WYZZ TV
Updated: September 13, 2012
PEORIA- Thursday the City of Peoria showed off its new rain garden.
It sits a little lower than the rest of the soil and has native plants with deep roots, located on public property near MacArthur Highway and Richard Allen Drive.
When it storms the rain garden will soak up a lot of water that might otherwise overflow storm drains. Up to 70 percent of river pollution is brought in by storm water runoff.
The City of Peoria is hoping people will plant their own gardens.
"Would one rain garden like this make an effort? No, but what about 100, or 1,000 rain gardens. It would make a difference if every gallon that a thirsty plant drunks up is a gallon of water that does not need to go in our sewer system," said Jane Gerdes, who is an engineer for Peoria Public Works.
The city said gardeners should use plants native to the U.S. because they can grow in poor soil, they come back year after year and they attract wildlife like butterflies.
It sits a little lower than the rest of the soil and has native plants with deep roots, located on public property near MacArthur Highway and Richard Allen Drive.
When it storms the rain garden will soak up a lot of water that might otherwise overflow storm drains. Up to 70 percent of river pollution is brought in by storm water runoff.
The City of Peoria is hoping people will plant their own gardens.
"Would one rain garden like this make an effort? No, but what about 100, or 1,000 rain gardens. It would make a difference if every gallon that a thirsty plant drunks up is a gallon of water that does not need to go in our sewer system," said Jane Gerdes, who is an engineer for Peoria Public Works.
The city said gardeners should use plants native to the U.S. because they can grow in poor soil, they come back year after year and they attract wildlife like butterflies.
