In 1993 the Department of the Environmental Resources, Prince Georges County, Maryland, introduced the "Design Manual for Use of Bioretention in Stormwater Management". Bioretention facilities have become commonly referred to as rain gardens. They were designed as an alternative, cost effective Stormwater best management practice (BMP) which allows multifunctional use of green space and landscaped areas for storage and treatment of runoff. Bioretention BMPs are simply very shallow landscaped depressions where runoff is infiltrated or filtered through a soil/plant complex for treatment. Bioretention has been successfully used as an alternative, cost-effective BMP for commercial, industrial and residential applications addressing both landscape and Stormwater management objectives. More recently, as a retrofit practice, the BMP has been incorporated into green space, streetscapes, median strips and parking lot islands. This paper summarizes recently completed monitoring findings and the lessons learned over the last five years with the use of bioretention for urban Stormwater management.
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