When developers build rooftops, parking lots and other impermeable surfaces, rain and snowmelt (stormwater) can no longer percolate into the ground and must be managed in order to prevent flooding. Conventional stormwater ponds provide little or nothing in the way of wildlife habitat, native plant diversity, aesthetic value, recreation or public education.
The proposed garden replicates the natural contours and structure of wetlands in the following ways:
Native plants arranged in communities according to available soil moisture
Undulating edges vs. linear edges
Uneven pond bottom vs. flat bottom
Who benefits from ponds built in this way?
Wildlife Creates high value wildlife habitat in the midst of urban and suburban development by replicating the ecological functions of natural wetlands.
Water Quality Improves water quality and removes sediments and toxins by filtering runoff through plant material.
Human Well-being Provides people living in urban and suburban areas with opportunities for observing and interacting with nature, which has been demonstrated to have positive impact on physical and mental health.
Children Studies have shown that children who are allowed access to nature have decreased incidence of ADD/ADHD and related learning disabilities.
Ecoliteracy and Conservation Ethics Human beings, increasingly removed from nature, understand little about wildlife and natural processes (eco-literacy.) In the case of children, the absence of a direct relationship with nature raises the question of where the land stewards of the nature generation will be inspired. If children (and adults) don’t know that there are marshes full of birds and ponds full of fish, turtles and frogs they are not likely to become advocates for their preservation.
Community Turns the aesthetic and economic liability of storm water management into an enhancement in community development. Whole ecosystems = healthy communities.
Business Progressive developers and businesses know that being “Green” in real and quantifiable ways has direct, positive impact in the marketplace.
