Library Green Rain Gardens and Porous Pavement
There are two rain gardens and one porous pavement walkway located near the library. These LID BMPs provide better infiltration than the conventional lawns and decomposed granite they replaced.
Rain Gardens
The two Library Green rain gardens accept runoff water from local impervious walkways and the existing grass lawn. While it may seem strange to provide BMPs for a lawn, the rain gardens are designed to provide better infiltration than lawns whose soils can be compacted over time by pedestrian use and mowing equipment. Rain gardens are not lined so that the runoff infiltrates into the native soils below (see diagram below). In large storms, water overflows into the existing drainage system via the drain inlet (the concrete box with the metal grate). These rain gardens were built around existing drain inlets to minimize costs.
Porous Pavement
Near the redwood trees in the library green, a porous concrete pavement walkway was installed to replace an existing decomposed granite path. Water passing through the porous concrete is stored in an underlying gravel layer and infiltrated into the soil. Have a seat on the rocks to enjoy this nice spot.
Want more details? https://www.owp.csus.edu/csus-lid/
Making Lawns “Greener”
Landscape designers know that lawns don't always soak up all the rainfall that hits them, and the situation is made worse if they receive runoff from local impervious areas like walkways. This is why large lawns are often fitted with drain inlets. Unfortunately, water running across lawns can pick up soil particles, fertilizers, or pesticides that are detrimental to local natural waterways. Rain gardens are one option to reduce the environmental impacts of large lawns. Whether or not they make sense at particular locations depends on the lawn uses and aesthetics. The photo below shows stormwater accumulating on the lawn and collecting in one of the campus rain gardens.
These are the plants at this BMP Site:
Featured Plant
Maritime Ceanothus (Maritimus 'Valley Violet')
Maritimus 'Valley Violet': Image by: Stickpen (Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication)
Berkeley Sedge (Carex Divulsa)
Deer Grass (Muhlenbergia Rigens)
Douglas Iris (Iris Douglasiana)
Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis x Acutiflora 'Karl Floerster')
Lomandra (Lomandra Longfolia 'Breeze')
Spreading Rush (Juncus Patens 'Elk Blue')
Sticky Monkey Flower (Mimulus Aurantiacus)
Want more details? https://www.owp.csus.edu/csus-lid/
Rain Gardens
The two Library Green rain gardens accept runoff water from local impervious walkways and the existing grass lawn. While it may seem strange to provide BMPs for a lawn, the rain gardens are designed to provide better infiltration than lawns whose soils can be compacted over time by pedestrian use and mowing equipment. Rain gardens are not lined so that the runoff infiltrates into the native soils below (see diagram below). In large storms, water overflows into the existing drainage system via the drain inlet (the concrete box with the metal grate). These rain gardens were built around existing drain inlets to minimize costs.
Porous Pavement
Near the redwood trees in the library green, a porous concrete pavement walkway was installed to replace an existing decomposed granite path. Water passing through the porous concrete is stored in an underlying gravel layer and infiltrated into the soil. Have a seat on the rocks to enjoy this nice spot.
Want more details? https://www.owp.csus.edu/csus-lid/
Making Lawns “Greener”
Landscape designers know that lawns don't always soak up all the rainfall that hits them, and the situation is made worse if they receive runoff from local impervious areas like walkways. This is why large lawns are often fitted with drain inlets. Unfortunately, water running across lawns can pick up soil particles, fertilizers, or pesticides that are detrimental to local natural waterways. Rain gardens are one option to reduce the environmental impacts of large lawns. Whether or not they make sense at particular locations depends on the lawn uses and aesthetics. The photo below shows stormwater accumulating on the lawn and collecting in one of the campus rain gardens.
These are the plants at this BMP Site:
Featured Plant
Maritime Ceanothus (Maritimus 'Valley Violet')
Maritimus 'Valley Violet': Image by: Stickpen (Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication)
Berkeley Sedge (Carex Divulsa)
Deer Grass (Muhlenbergia Rigens)
Douglas Iris (Iris Douglasiana)
Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis x Acutiflora 'Karl Floerster')
Lomandra (Lomandra Longfolia 'Breeze')
Spreading Rush (Juncus Patens 'Elk Blue')
Sticky Monkey Flower (Mimulus Aurantiacus)
Want more details? https://www.owp.csus.edu/csus-lid/