How many of you remember this past spring and early summer, particularly the widespread problems resulting from excessive rainfall. Some owners could have marketed their lands as “oceanfront property!”
In an ideal world, rainwater and snowmelt would all be absorbed into the soil where the moisture can be used by growing plants. However, there are times when the ground is saturated which results in the excess moisture running across the surface of the land and into a storm sewer (if you live in an urban area), or into a road ditch (if you live in the country). In either case, slowing down the surface runoff, spreading it out over a larger surface area, and giving it time to soak in helps reduce surface runoff. Surface runoff can pick up debris, chemicals, bacteria, eroded soil, and other pollutants, carrying them into streams, rivers, lakes, or wetlands.
Impervious surfaces, such as roofs, paved driveways, parking lots, and sidewalks, don’t allow water to be absorbed into the soil. Pervious surfaces, which are porous, allow rainfall and snowmelt to soak into the soil. Lawns, crop fields, orchards, pastures, and woodlands are common pervious surfaces. Permeable pavers and pavement, which can facilitate absorption, can be used instead of traditional asphalt and concrete.
Culverts, gutters, storm sewers, conventional piped drainage, and other engineered collection systems deliver stormwater into nearby water bodies at greater velocities. However, rain gardens, buffer strips, rain barrels, bioswales, green roofs, permeable pavements, planter boxes, ponds, wetlands, trees, no-till, cover crops, and grass waterways slow down stormwater, providing some treatment and lowering velocities.
Stormwater management is most effective when both quantity and quality of the water are considered. Quantity management involves detaining stormwater to prevent or minimize flooding of homes, businesses, and roadways. Quality management also detains stormwater, but the main purpose is to allow for the removal of pollutants through settling and/or biological processes.
How can you help? Educate yourself about your property. Where does the rainwater and snowmelt flow when they aren’t absorbed into the ground? Are there best management practices you can implement to help reduce surface runoff and/or ensure the runoff is as clean as it can be when it leaves your property? Slowing it down, spreading it out, or soaking it in can protect our precious natural waterways. Celebrate Stormwater Awareness week by contemplating what you can do as an individual to be the change for clean water.