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Stormwater Runoff: Slow The Flow To Clean The Water
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From the TAPP Guide to a Water-Friendly Yard
Photos by Nancy Miller, TAPP Project Coordinator
 The overall goal of a water-friendly yard is to slow the flow of water running off of your yard, helping to assure that the water reaching streams and lakes is clean. Slowing the flow helps prevent pollutants such as silt, fertilizers and pesticides from washing off your yard into storm drains and eventually into local water resources. Keep in mind that many storm drains lead directly to waterbodies, without treatment. So take steps to hold rainwater in areas of your yard where it can filter slowly through the soil. This can be done by adopting some of the following practices on your property.
Examine the lay of your land.
Where does the water flow? Collect? Run off? Surfaces that don't absorb rain, like the roof, driveway, or even the lawn, will have water flowing from them. These are targets for "slow-the-flow" techniques.
Minimize soil erosion.
 Minimize soil erosion by planting groundcovers and by creating mulched beds on bare areas or places where grass is hard to grow. No yard should have bare ground, which is the most vulnerable to erosion. Silt (fine soil) is a major pollutant in water systems, so keep your yard at home. For problem areas, biodegradable straw or jute matting can be laid on bare areas to stabilize the soil. Plants will grow right through and over time the matting will disappear.
Create mulched beds.
On one hand we have impervious surfaces like roads and driveways. Then there is your lawn - somewhat impervious and somewhat porous. None of these surfaces are good at slowing the flow and absorbing excess water. What to do? One solution is to create more mulched beds. Well-mulched beds can reduce the need for fertilizing, watering, mowing, and pesticide use, making your yard easier to manage and keeping it from eroding. You can create a place of beauty in your yard, a place that takes far less time and money to maintain than grass, and one that helps to protect your water resources. Here's how.
Plant a rain garden.
 A beautiful solution to pollution, rain gardens are landscaped areas planted with flowers and other moisture tolerant plants to replace areas of lawn or bare ground. Rainwater can be collected from your roof, driveway or lawn and conveyed to a rain garden in a low spot where water naturally drains. The garden fills with a few inches of water and allows the water to slowly filter into the soil. Compared to a patch of conventional lawn, a rain garden allows about 30% more water to soak into the ground. Look for the TAPP Rain gardens brochure at area nurseries and libraries. Find Out More.
Build berms and swales.
Berms are raised earthen areas covered with vegetation that can be located to direct water flow. Berms offer an attractive means for directing water from around the house to areas that can use it. Swales are shallow vegetated conveyances that allow water to be filtered and to percolate into the ground.
Terrace a slope.
If you have a sloped area that is too steep for a berm or a rain garden, consider terracing. This method of cultivation is an ancient technique for controlling water flow that is used around the world to convert steep slopes into acres of productive farmland. You simply convert the slope into a series of two or more stepped terraces.
Rain Barrels and Cisterns
Rain barrels and cisterns can save roof water for future watering needs. They should be covered to avoid attracting mosquitoes.
For a source of Rain Barrels visit Gardener's Supply Company under the "watering" department.
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