Managing stormwater is one of our state’s biggest issues. Ever-increasing development means rain has fewer natural areas that can absorb and purify it. Our water instead flows over pavement and manicured landscapes, picking up contaminants on its way to waterbodies like neighborhood retention ponds.
Plants can help. This stormwater pond management guide from Naples Botanical Garden is designed to help South Florida homeowners, pond managers, and professional landscapers understand how rainwater can become contaminated and impact waterbodies like the Gulf of Mexico, and how plants serve as a nature-based solution, limiting such damage. Our stormwater treatment system map and journal article show how we manage runoff on our property using these principles.
