My neighborhood in Portland just got a rain garden, now my basement is dry

I live on SE 62nd near Foster and our street flooded every winter. Puddles would sit for days. The city put in a rain garden last fall, three blocks of curb cuts and native plants. I was skeptical because it looked like they just dug holes and threw in some ferns. But we had that big storm in January, like 3 inches in a day, and my basement stayed dry for the first time in 5 years. The water that used to pool at the intersection just drains into the garden now. My neighbor's sump pump barely kicked on. Has anyone else seen these actually work in older neighborhoods where the sewer system is overloaded? I'm curious if it's just luck or if the design is really doing that much.

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miller.rowan29d ago

Maybe the timing of that January storm just happened to line up with a dryer season, I wouldn't count on it long term.