Rain Gardens Solving Central Jersey Flooding Issues

When I was a kid, we had a patch of land that always flooded during heavy rainfall. If we had a storm with significant showers, the water would creep up towards the house and, on occasion, seep into part of the basement. We needed a rain garden.

The house that my family has lived in for the past 25 years had a similar issue. There’s a section on the side of the house that would gather much of the rain. The water wouldn’t leak into the house, but it would keep the grass wet and soggy for days after a hard rain.

Eventually, I installed a French Drain. A French Drain is simply a trench or hole filled with gravel and stone. It diverts the water away from the area where it gathers, and it seeps into the rock quickly. It works for most drainage problem areas.

I just recently learned about another method called a rain garden. A rain garden can be placed just about anywhere to prevent high water in problem areas.

A rain garden is simply a patch of land that looks like landscaping, and can be installed in the middle of a large paved area. It’s a small piece of land that’s filled with dirt, plants, and rocks. It captures the rainwater and holds it until it seeps into the ground.

Rain gardens are being used in Central Jersey areas with flooding issues, including the town of Woodbridge. Woodbridge has a reputation for their flooding issue when rainfall is significant. The town started installing rain gardens, and it’s been a huge success.

Rutgers University Green Infrastructure program workers have built rain gardens near Woodbridge office buildings and other areas throughout the town. The parking lot water flows down a slight incline directly into the rain garden, where it eventually disappears into the ground.

Rain gardens also help the environment by cleaning the rainwater and preventing it from polluting lakes and streams.