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Sustainable Water Design 707 463 1912 Transform your landscape to harvest rainwater and create an oasis of biodiversity
In paved landscapes rainwater mostly
runs off into a stormwater systems where it is treated as waste. Groundwater is
not adequately recharged, and the water table can become lower and lower. By slowing and infiltrating the water through "bio-swales”or "infiltration basins" this trend can be reversed. Furthermore, you can capture much water from your roof!When landscaping or building it is important to design for appropriate, successful interaction with water flowing over and through your property. Avoid onsite problems and work towards reduced flooding, groundwater recharge, and freshwater abundance in your neighborhood.
Groundwater may seem an illusive resource that is invisible and disconnected from you and your life. Do you know that your daily actions directly influence groundwater levels and quality? The diagram above shows how you influence groundwater levels. The aquifer below you is part of the ecosystem and watershed that you live in.
Water invites the eye and lets the mind be at peace. With a natural stormwater system you can create beautiful streams, wetland marches, and ponds. Cistern can be constructed out of ferro cement in forms such as an ancient watering vessels or out of stone to double as a patio.
A typical residential storm drain quickly transport rainwater from the roof to the stormwater system. Water is rapidly conducted over the landscape so that it is concentrated. This process does not allow water to infiltrate and re-charge groundwater.
Water from a typical stormdrain system collects contaminants while flowing through city streets, creates a flood hazard because it concentrates faster and in larger quantities than in natural conditions, and requires a costly infrastructure for conductance.
Stormwater can be caught and beneficially integrated into your landscape. Living roofs slow the delivery of stormwater and provide habitat and insulation. Cisterns store rainwater for use in home and garden. Natural pools and ponds can store large quantities of water to provide an emergency supply in case of fire or earthquake, provide recreational opportunities, and provide water for beautiful gardens. Swales and basins recharge groundwater and provide habitat for moisture loving plants. All of these enhancements help prevent flooding by slowing the concentration of water after a large storm so that it does not come all at once.
Rain is one of the purest forms of water available. Most roofs already function as a catchment system with conveyance through a gutter. Why not put a tank or barrel under this gutter and save some of the water for the summer? In Mendocino County, one can capture 20,000 gallons per year with a 1000 square foot roof. That is enough water to fill a tank that is 15 feet by 15 feet by 12 feet.