Other Green Stormwater Alternatives
What are Green Stormwater Alternatives?
There are a number of Green Stormwater Alternatives that can be used instead of or in conjunction with building Rain Gardens.
By combining some of these proven techniques you may be able to reduce the runoff from your house AND the impervious parts of your property.
Take a look and try them out.
Downspout Disconnection
Downspouts connected to your driveway or walkways contribute to stormwater flows into the street drainage, which eventually flow into local streams or lakes during heavy storms. Disconnecting your downspout by directing water flows into your yard or your rain garden can reduce the amount of water and pollutants entering our local streams and lakes.
Pervious Pavers
Pervious pavers are an alternative to traditional impervious paved surfaces, such as concrete and asphalt. Pervious pavers are designed to allow infiltration of stormwater runoff. The surface pores in pervious paving material allow water to flow through the paving and into the soil below where water can be naturally filtered, removing contaminants before entering our local waterways.
Reducing Impervious Surfaces
Reducing impervious surfaces helps decrease the amount of contaminated runoff that enters our waterways and slows down water flows during a heavy storm by disrupting direct flows. Using an alternative to pavement, such as pervious pavers, allows the filtration of runoff. Reduce paved areas by replacing sidewalks and patios with materials that encourage infiltration such as paver blocks or gravel. Impervious areas could be reduced by adding more trees into your landscaping which disrupts water flows between impervious surfaces.
Green Roofs
A green roof, also known as eco-roof or living roof, is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and soil that helps filter and reduce runoff.
Swales and Berms
Swales are shallow, low depressions in the ground designed to encourage the accumulation of rain during storms and hold it for a few hours or days to let it infiltrate into the soil. Swales ideally are tree-lined and store water for the immediate landscape as well as help cleanse the water as it seeps through the ground. Swales can be installed separately or as part of a larger water rain catchment system with rain gardens and other water conservation measures.
Berms are raised beds that can be used to direct water to swales. They are the equivalent of the slope in road used to push water off the middle of the road toward the curbs. They can be used to control erosion and sedimentation by reducing the rate of surface runoff.
Use Native Plants
Landscaping with native plants can be beneficial in many ways. Native plants are best adapted to the soil and temperature conditions in the area and often require less fertilizer and watering than exotic species. In the long run using native plants will results in less landscape maintenance. By incorporating native plants into your landscaping, you can create a natural setting in your yard and provide food and habitat for the native wildlife. Also native plants can help filter contaminated runoff before entering our waterways. Please see the About Rain Gardens page and check out the suggested plants table.
Plant More Trees
Planting trees not only improves your yard but also improves the surrounding ecosystems. Trees help improve air quality because they “breath” in carbon dioxide and “exhale” oxygen. They help reduce and filter the runoff from our roofs, driveway, and other impervious surfaces and help prevent soil erosion. In addition, they contribute to ground water recharge.
Reduce Lawn Surfaces
By reducing the size of your lawn and replacing it with native vegetation can help slow down flows of water from your yard when it rains, filter pollutants such as animal wastes, fertilizers and pesticides, and reduce the time and costs associated with lawn maintenance such as mowing and watering.