- Home
- Government
- Departments
- Public Works
- Stormwater
- Rain Garden Resources
Rain Garden Resources
Typically, a rain garden is a small- to medium-sized garden planted in a shallow depression, and often includes native plants. The specialized plants and soil slow runoff during heavy rains and provide natural filtration for several common pollutants. Rain gardens can also be designed to provide habitat for birds, butterflies and beneficial insects.
The City of Eugene installs rain gardens to treat stormwater in public areas, and requires new developments to incorporate them to handle water from downspouts, streets, roofs and other impervious surfaces. They are considered a best practice by the Environmental Protection Agency, so support water quality policies that are reported as part of our NPDES permitting.
Learn more in this article from Clean Water Connections newsletter or check out the videos below.
Resource Lists
Map of City of Eugene's public stormwater management facilities includes current and pending sites and square footage for each.
Eugene’s municipal stormwater system, including rain gardens and swales, conveys runoff from properties within the City directly into the Willamette River and other local waterways. A Federal discharge permit requires the City to implement and report on a comprehensive management program that establishes controls on stormwater runoff from developing areas in order to protect local water quality.
The Stormwater Management Manual (SMM) outlines specific requirements that engineers, developers and designers must follow when constructing stormwater facilities. It includes detailed sections for specific facility designs, operations and maintenance (O&M), excerpted below.