Rain Gardens
Hot Springs has many rain gardens installed throughout the city, but some may underestimate the true value of these beautiful gardens. Rain gardens are considered to be one of the most cost-effective, aesthetically pleasing means of improving water quality. As the city grows, more homes and commercial buildings are constructed, the amount of rainwater that is conveyed to the storm drain system significantly increases. Rain gardens are an ideal addition to urbanized areas because they are designed to allow the rainwater to be filtered of pollutants before percolating into the ground, as opposed to draining directly into the storm drain system. Low impact development, such as rain gardens, bioswales, greenspaces are a necessity for growing communities.
See the illustration below to see how a rain garden works. Click here to view an excellent informative guide for Rain Gardens and Stormwater that was published by the University of Arkansas.