Rainscaping Guide: Select Other Rainscaping Options

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.