[Durham INC] Stormwater

[Barry Ragin]

Pat - this assumes that individual homeowners and landlords actually 
*care* about the results of their actions or inactions. I think 
educating the population about this issue is more properly the job of 
the city and county government, as is enacting policy that incentivizes 
good stormwater management by individual property owners, and actively 
discourages, for example, such moves as turning your entire backyard 
into a parking lot. Which, in those parts of the city built before the 
1994 planning department merger, is completely legal.

In my yard, i've dug a couple of large depressions at the top and bottom 
of the hill to hold water, and banked those with dirt and stone. I'm 
still trying to fill them with native plants that don't mind getting 
their feet wet. I've dug a swale between the two areas and lined it with 
stone. hopefully this is slowing the water running off from the 3 or 4 
houses at the top of the hill that drain into my yard which are, in 
fact, nothing but parking areas.

Barry Ragin

Pat Carstensen wrote:
> Regardless of what the state or feds say about stormwater, I think we 
> need to think creatively about how to do better with stormwater. Not 
> only do we drink water from the lake, but
>
> 1) I'm sure everyone knows folks who complain about about the pools of 
> water around their house every time it rains, because run-off from 
> several lots runs onto one yard
> 2) Rockwood came to INC years ago to talk about what to do about 
> mosquitoes breeding in standing water in the park (I'm assuming a lot 
> of the water came from Rockwood itself)
>
> So, what is the equivalent of the compact fluorescent lightbulb for 
> stormwater. What simple things can homeowners do on their property 
> that is cheap, simple and effective?
>
> I know about water gardens, and some communities are doing a lot 
> around them:
> http://www.raingardeninitiative.org/
> But that is more like replacing windows (bigger investment, bigger 
> pay-off, possible source of green jobs, but not something you decide 
> to do on a weekend)
>
> What I am doing:
> 1) Ripped up the black plastic the previous homeowner put down
> 2) Put perennial flower beds along curb (they may have higher run-off 
> than grass but they are raised so hold back the run-off from yard 
> above it)
> 3) There is a small copse in front of the house that captures a lot of 
> the water off the house
> 4) We put small wood barriers across a path that goes down toward the 
> street. They create a series of small puddles in the path. This slows 
> the flow so whatever water that gets to the street is cleaner.
> 5) My latest effort is trying to figure out how I can increase the 
> puddles / decrease flow velocity in the narrow stretch of yard that 
> still has unprotected flow down to the street. I don't want to 
> completely dig up the yard and don't want obvious barriers. Any ideas 
> on this?
>
> Anyhow, I think this is something neighborhoods can do a lot on.
>
> Regards, pat
>
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