Here’s What to Do After a Storm: A Restoration Plan

What Is Stormwater Restoration?

Stormwater restoration is any effort towards the management of surface runoff. The excess water may be rainwater, melted snow spreading to the streets, lawns, and other regions.

Stormwater can be a headache because the ground can no longer absorb into the soil. Typically, excess water sips to the ground, where it replenishes underground aquifers. The aquifers feed rivers and streams.

However, during storms, the water is rarely absorbed because the ground is saturated. Therefore, the water becomes a mess as it flows in the drainage sewers, and road ditches.

As it flows, it carries chemicals, bacteria, soil particles, and other contaminants. Finally, the polluted water drains into bigger water bodies like lakes, seas, and other wetlands. Storm water maintenance is a conservation plan to collect or redirect the excess water for better use.

How Can Stormwater Management Help?

Stormwater may not be a problem for those living in urban areas. This is because pavements, rooftops, and other impervious surfaces prevent excess water from soaking the ground. The excess water precipitates as it runs through drainage systems, sewers, and storm drains.

As the water flows, it causes flooding and erosion. It also leads to sewer overflow and can potentially cause infrastructure damage. The stormwater restoration plan, use green solutions to harvest and reuse it. Reusing stormwater control adverse effects of the excess water. The harvested water is used to maintain natural hydrology cycles.

Stormwater management involves harvesting, removing pollutants, and treating it for reuse.

Constructed structures such as gutters, storm sewers, culverts, and piped drainage form the gray infrastructure.

On the other hand, some features mimic the natural water cycle to restore it from precipitation also help conserve and manage stormwater. These imitations are referred to as blue or green infrastructure. They are effective measures that play a critical role in stormwater management.

How to Manage Storm Water?

There are various ways of managing the excess runoff after a storm. If storm water floods your property, you can do either of the following.

1. Redirect the water

Many downspouts direct water to concrete surfaces along the house foundation, or connected to the storm drain system. Access the lawn area and redirect the downspout to the ground.

The water percolates slowly to the soil and finally to the aquifers.  Additionally, the redirected water does not soak the foundation, which can compromise the stability of the house.

2. Rain Barrels

These are huge storage tanks where one collects the excess water for future use.  Planning for stormwater collection helps a homeowner plan for the purchase of large water reservoirs. The water can be used for household and gardening purposes when the wet season is over.

3. Planting Trees

Trees are a sustainable method of stormwater management. Trees help by absorbing excess water. The roots of the trees hold the soil particles together to control soil erosion around your property.

Plant as many trees as the space can hold. However, maintain a 35 ft distance from one tree to another. You can also plant grass around the house to help keep loose soil compact.

4. Maintain A Rain Garden

A rain garden is prepared before the onset of the rains. It is a wide, bowl-shaped garden where stormwater collects until the ground can absorb more water.

When there’s a lot of stormwater, the ground becomes saturated and  can no longer absorb surface runoff until substantial evaporation occurs. Therefore, a rain garden collects the water for some time, allowing the ground to dry up.

A rain garden is a ditch DIY project, but if in doubt, you can seek the advice of a professional landscaper.

5. Install Pervious Pavements

Permeable pavements are thick brick blocks that provide a stable stone base until all water soaks to the ground.

Pervious pavements are an excellent way of converting hard surfaces into temporary surfaces to absorb, manage and reduce run off. Hire the services of a professional landscaper if you consider permeable pavers as means of dealing with stormwater.

6. Vegetate Bare Areas On Your Property

Plant grass, flowers and trees in any bare areas in the lawn to help keep the soil compact thus, preventing soil erosion during rainy seasons. Remember to mulch to recycle green waste from the garden. Mulching replenishes the soil with nutrients.

Stormwater management needs proper planning. There are many ways of preventing surface runoff from ruining the soil and water quality around your home. The excess water can be contained or used sustainably around the home.