U.S. EPA researcher Bill Shuster and his co-authors recently published a paper titled, Factors Contributing to the Hydrologic Effectiveness of a Rain Garden Network (Cincinnati OH USA). The paper is one of two included in a special issue of that focuses on green infrastructure.
Infiltrative rain gardens can add retention capacity to sewersheds, yet factors contributing to their capacity for detention and redistribution of stormwater runoff are dynamic and often unverified. Over a four-year period, the team tracked whole-system water fluxes in a two-tier rain garden network and assessed near-surface hydrology and soil development across construction and operational phases. Overall, the study identified factors relevant to regulation of retention capacity of a rain garden network. These factors may be generalizable, and guide improvement of new or existing rain garden designs.