BACKGROUND The Ciano's urban backyard receives surface water runoff from at least 5 neighbors. This runoff pooled in their backyard and ended up in their basement.

SITE SPECIFIC CONCERNS/GOALS The family wanted to correct the water problems in the yard, to minimize impacts on the nearby creek, to provide habitat for birds and, butterflies, and to develop an impressive landscape. The soils were too dense to infiltrate the large amounts of water flowing from neighboring yards. The house and garage left little room for equipment to move through the landscape. Capturing runoff from the roofs was going to be a challenge as well.

SOLUTIONS Four bioretention rain gardens were designed for this site. All four gardens were excavated and filled with an engineered soil of sand and compost. In the largeest rain garden, a drain line was suspended off the excavated basin. Given the slow infiltration rates of the soil below, this garden would not hold the volume of water running into it. A fluctuating aerobic/anaerobic zone occurs below the drain pipe that provides a denitrification environment: important in nitrate-rich residential areas. The water below the drain is then infiltrated and the water above the line, cleaned through the sand-compost soil/filter and by the denitrification process. The drain line runs to another rain garden in the front. A smaller infiltration garden in the back yard also ties into the overflow pipe system running to the larger front garden. Two front yard gardens were excavated out achieve the necessary depth so that backyard overflow could be filtered and flow to the front yard. Two downspouts and a sump pump line are tied into the large front rain garden as well. The small garden collects water from one downspout and the overflow from a rain barrel in the back of the house. Both front gardens are planted with mostly cultivated species and a few native species in a more formal design. This design element considers the effect of the appearance of a rain garden on public perception of the project as a landscaping feature.