Environmental · Stormwater
Rain Garden Design
Beginner 3 weeks 15-20 hours
Size a rain garden for a real roof using local rainfall data and a soil infiltration test, then draw a full site plan.
Major
Environmental
Focus area
Stormwater
Total hours
15-20 hours
What you'll need
- 100 ft measuring tape
- garden shovel
- stakes and mason line string kit
- digital stopwatch
- graph paper engineering pad
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Steps
- Measure the roof area that drains to one downspout.
- Dig a test hole about 1 foot deep, fill it with water, and measure how fast the level drops per hour.
- Find rain garden sizing guidance in your state or county stormwater manual.
- Calculate the rain garden area and depth from your roof area and infiltration rate.
- Draw a site plan with dimensions, the inlet, an overflow path, and native plants.
- Document your calculations and plan for your portfolio.
What to photograph for your portfolio
- Measuring the roof or downspout
- infiltration test hole
- site plan
- sizing calculations
- plant selection
Resume bullet starters
Copy one, then swap in your own numbers.
Designed a [X] sq ft rain garden to capture runoff from a [X] sq ft roof using field infiltration tests
Measured soil infiltration at [X] in/hr and produced a dimensioned site plan with native plant selection
Quantified results with [insert your result, such as removal percentage, accuracy, strength, or cost savings] and summarized findings in a technical report
Skills you'll show off
Stormwater designfield testinghydrologysite planningdesign manuals