Problem Areas to Avoid
Under some conditions, any kind of rainscaping (landscaping to manage stormwater) is not recommended. If the following conditions exist at your site, consider installing a rain barrel, vegetated roof or choose another site to rainscape:
- over septic systems
- in contaminated soils or groundwater
- adjacent to a karst sinkhole leading directly to groundwater reservoir
- for runoff from vehicular areas, in wellhead protection areas or within a horizontal distance of 2× the depth of any nearby wells
- within 10–20 feet of footings, pavement or any building, including those on neighboring properties
- within 5 feet of the property line
Managing Challenging Areas
Under other challenging landscape conditions, rain gardens are not recommended but other viable landscaping alternatives exist.
Utilities: Choose short stature plants to plant underneath overhead utility lines. Do not install rain gardens or trees over underground utilities. Call 1 (800) DIG-RITE to find out where the underground utilities are located.
Address other challenging landscape features (click on each topic below to show that section):