Braniewo – Rain garden for the greening of a public car park

In Braniewo, Poland, a “rain garden” is being created in the car park of the local swimming pool: part of the area will be unsealed and redesigned by planting vegetation and by creating a catch basin so that stormwater running off the streets and the roof of the indoor swimming pool will be stored here in future – instead of allowing it to drain into the sewage system.

The rain garden should be able to store at least 30 millimetres of precipitation per square metre (following the standards in Gdańsk). This will provide the plants in the car park with sufficient water, naturally promote greening and reduce the need for additional irrigation by potable water. The rain garden also offers ecosystem services and benefits for urban development: it reduces the effect of urban heat islands, increases biodiversity and provides treatment of stormwater through sedimentation, filtration, sorption, and uptake of biogenic compounds by the plants. It also provides aesthetic and educational values.

• Location: Braniewo (Poland)
• Water source: Stormwater
• Type of treatment: Natural self-purification processes (sedimentation, filtration, sorption, biodegradation) enhanced by eco-engineering design
• Target water quality: Natural stormwater quality
• Utilisation: Irrigation of plants in the car park
• Return to natural cycle: Increased infiltration and evapotranspiration
• Responsible: Braniewo Municipality / Gdańsk University of Technology
• Open for visitors: Summer 2025