Rain Gardens and Mosquitoes

First Paragraph:
Rain gardens are one of many sustainable or low impact development practices used to treat stormwater runoff, often referred to as “green infrastructure”. Rain gardens treat stormwater as a resource; as opposed to the more conventional approach where stormwater treatment included removing stormwater as quickly as possible from the landscape and directing it to the nearest water body. By definition, a rain garden is a shallow, landscaped depression that facilitates the infiltration of stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces, confining it while it allows for slow percolation into the ground over 24-48 hours. This seepage of the stormwater runoff allows the physical settling out of sediment and adsorption of some nutrients such as phosphorus. Nutrient concentrations are reduced through biological and chemical processes as plants have the opportunity to uptake nutrients. The plants in this depression area are selected based on their ability to withstand being inundated with standing water for a period of time; however, it is also this ponding area which can cause concerns regarding mosquito production.
Tags:
mosquitoes, rain gardens, life cycle, larvae
Publication Number:
FS1175
Author(s):
Teresa Duckworth
Christopher Obropta
Pat Rector
Publisher:
Rutgers NJAES Cooperative Extension
Date Published:
2/16/2012

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  1. Rutgers
  2. Executive Dean of Agriculture and Natural Resources
  3. School of Environmental and Biological Sciences