Rain Gardens Improve Public Health Safety
On-Site Disposal Systems (OSDS) are designed to overflow when use exceeds capacity. At this hotel in Guánica, overflows frequently occurred during peak showering periods in the late afternoon. The hotel worked with Ridge to Reefs to install green infrastructure that would treat the runoff water and protect the local environment. With the introduction of a rain garden, the new self-sustaining green infrastructure catches overflow water and removes nutrients from untreated water.
Vetiver grass has a wide variety of applications, including stabilizing soils and drawing nutrients from overloaded systems. It is hearty and grows rapidly. In this hotel rain garden, the vetiver took root rapidly and was highly successful in absorbing overflow water and using the excess nutrients. Without intervention, these nutrients would have reached the near shore reefs and impacted the health and quality of local waterways.