III. CONTRIBUTING AREA/HYDROLOGY
Before beginning, the team should identify where each zone of the rain garden begins and ends.
Identify the outside edges of the rain garden and the different zones.
- Zone 1 is the flat area on bottom. Zone 1 will be divided up into thirds and called Sections 1A, 1B and 1C.
- Zone 2 is bottom of overflow to top of Zone 1
- Zone 3 is from bottom of overflow up to defined edge. If the edge is unclear, zone 3 ends one meter out from
the level of the overflow water level.
III-1. Contributing water source (check all that apply):
III-3. Blockages:
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Inflow 1 |
Inflow 2 |
Inflow 3 |
Sheet Flow |
Percent Blockage |
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Overflow 1 |
Overflow 2 |
Overflow 3 |
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×
Alert: Blocked - Remove Blockage! - (>6% Blockage)
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Inflow 1 |
Inflow 2 |
Inflow 3 |
Sheet Flow |
Blockage type |
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Overflow 1 |
Overflow 2 |
Overflow 3 |
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III-4. Erosion:
Rank the severity of erosion and/or channelization observed in each zone of the rain garden.
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Zone 1 |
Zone 2 |
Zone 3 |
Erosion / Channelization |
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×
Alert: Re-route and dissipate water! - (Moderate or Extensive Erosion/Channelization)
III-5. Other Hydrology Concerns:
Please describe any situations that may affect hydrology that is not accounted for in the information collected.
×
Alert: Report to owner/jurisdiction staff if necessary.
V. OVERALL SUBSTRATES, VEGETATION, CONDITIONS
Use the key and guide below to assess characteristics
in each zone of the rain garden.
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1A |
1B |
1C |
2 |
3 |
Type of Mulch |
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Depth of Mulch |
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×
Alert: Add mulch or report to owner/jurisdiction staff! - (Depth of Mulch = None or Trace)
Shredded Mulch: stringy/fibrous with long, coarse particles of varying lengths
Fine Mulch: ground wood chips or barks with particles 1” or less, leaf litter and dead vegetation
Coarse Mulch: arborist chips, nuggets, play chips with particles typically 1–3”
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Zone 1 |
Zone 2 |
Zone 3 |
Mulch Coverage
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Bare Ground Coverage
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Pea Gravel Coverage
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Drain Rock Coverage
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2-12" Rock Coverage
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>12" Rock/Log Coverage
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×
Alert: Add mulch or report to owner/jurisdiction staff! - (Bare Ground Coverage > 6%)
V-2. Rain Garden Vegetation:
Please use cover classes and vigor codes (below) to indicate
coverage and plant figor ranking for each vegetation type. This is a visual observation in which you are
only looking at the surface of the rain garden. Please use field guides provided to identify target problem plants.
For vigor, refer to these slides. 
For coverage, refer to these slides.
Vegetation Type |
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Zone 1 |
Zone 2 |
Zone 3 |
All Vegetation: |
Coverage |
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Target Problem Plants:
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Coverage |
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Vigor |
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Non-Target Weeds:
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Coverage |
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Vigor |
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Deciduous Shrubs/Trees:
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Coverage |
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Vigor |
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Evergreen Shrubs/Trees:
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Coverage |
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Vigor |
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Herbaceous:
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Coverage |
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Vigor |
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Ground Cover:
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Coverage |
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Vigor |
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×
Alert: Remove unwanted plants or report to owner/jurisdiction staff! (Target Problem Plants > .5%)
×
Alert: Remove weeds or report to owner/jurisdiction staff! (Non-Target Weeds > 6%)
×
Alert: Report to owner/jurisdiction staff! - (Deciduous Shrubs/Trees vigor = poor)
×
Alert: Report to owner/jurisdiction staff! - (Evergreen Shrubs/Trees vigor = poor)
×
Alert: Report to owner/jurisdiction staff! - (Herbaceous vigor = poor)
×
Alert: Report to owner/jurisdiction staff! - (Ground Cover vigor = poor)
V-3. Other Vegetation Observations:
×
Alert: Report to owner/jurisdiction staff if necessary!
V-4. Public Amenities:
Select a rank to answer each of the following questions:
How visible is the site to the public?
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How aesthetically pleasing is this site?
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How well maintained is this site?
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×
Alert: Remove trash or prune if applicable! - (Site maintenance is low)
×
Alert: Report to owner/jurisdiction staff if necessary!