Summer is here! And that means endless hours of heavy downpours!
Especially if you live in an area where tropical storms are a norm during summers, you need no introduction to these downpours and the damage they can bring.
Naturally, by this time, you should be already done with your preparations for the season. If you haven’t started yet, get your storm-panic muscles in action; there’s still time.
When we talk about preparing for a summer-cum-storm season, homeowners usually tend to focus on the areas of repair.
You’ll be making sure there are no leaks in your roof, your front yard trees are pruned, your porches or carports are secured and your drainage system is working fine.
But what about your storm water run offs?
Have you taken steps to control storm water run offs from your property?
Why does this matter?
Because storm water run offs from properties, streets and lands are the number one cause of lake, stream and river impairments.
All that stormwater flowing off your roof, patio, sidewalk or driveway, runs off into your local storm drain from where it is carried further and dispensed directly into your local water bodies. That is, your local streams, lakes and rivers.
This stormwater carries soil sediments, fertilizer, pet waste, oil residues and pollutants (washed away from your roof), and these things go directly into your local streams and lakes.
Soil sediments can suffocate the stream-bottom macroinvertebrates and block their access to air and sunlight by clouding the stream surface. Fertilizer, pet waste, oil residues and pollutants can kill the fish and other aquatic organisms living in these water bodies.
So your storm water run offs are an environmental concern and it’s your responsibility to make sure that you don’t let them run flow havoc.
What can you do as a homeowner?
To get started, place rain barrels underneath all your downspouts. The rain barrels will capture the runoff. You can then use this water for landscaping or release it slowly after the rain to keep it from running into your local storm drain.
Besides that, if you have a backyard shoreline or a garden that is directly connected to a local water body via a graded slope or a similar structure, you can install erosion control blankets and straw mats across the channel. These blankets and mats will minimize erosion and sedimentation by absorbing the run offs.
Your storm water is your responsibility and we all have a duty to protect our local streams, lakes and rivers.
A BONUS read: 5 Important Things to Know for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control