Baykeeper’s Homeowner Guide to LID
Green Living Goes Blue
A growing number of homeowners and builders are finding that Low Impact Development (LID) techniques to reduce storm water pollution are an essential element of ‘green’ living. Read more to find out how you can join Bay Area builders and residents who are turning the green building movement blue!
Reduce Runoff: Slow It Down, Spread It Out, Soak It In
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Botanic Garden produced a 9-minute video to highlight green techniques such as rain gardens, green roofs and rain barrels to help manage storm water runoff. Watch the video at www.epa.gov.
Rain Barrels and Cisterns
Collecting rainwater for household use is a simple way to help reduce storm water runoff and lessen demands on California’s water supply. By redirecting your home or building’s gutters to deliver storm water to a rain barrel or cistern, rainwater can be stored for landscape irrigation during the dry season or used for indoor plants during the rainy season.
The City of San Francisco recently launched a Rainwater Harvest Campaign to promote the purchase of rain barrels. Each barrel will amount to thousands of gallons of captured and reused rainwater, preventing polluted runoff and conserving tap water. Find out more about the campaign at www.sfwater.org.
Rain Gardens
Make an improvement to your home or garden that is both attractive and good for the environment! Rain gardens can be added to your home or business to slow down the flow of rainwater and allow it to be absorbed and filtered. A rain garden aims to slow down rainwater with shallow plains, plants, rocks or temporary ponds. Rain gardens give water a chance to percolate through the ground instead of being channeled straight to the nearest creek or Bay. This percolation process naturally filters pollutants out of the water and nourishes plant life. An added benefit is that rain gardens double as mini wetland sanctuaries for both animals and humans – a nice reprieve from concrete and pavement in our urban surroundings. Learn how to plant a rain garden on your property at www.raingardennetwork.com.
Permeable Paving Systems
When rainwater falls on paved surfaces, it flows directly to streams and storm drains in huge volumes, carrying with it pollutants which eventually reach the Bay. Permeable pavement systems let water seep through the surface, allowing for natural filtration. By using permeable paving systems for paved areas like driveways, homeowners can dramatically reduce the volume of storm water runoff that flows from their property. Permeable paving systems create the desired hard surface with interlocking stones, which allow rainwater to flow between the joints and into the ground. For information on permeable paving systems, visit www.icpi.org.
These are just a few LID practices and more are currently being implemented in homes and communities throughout the Bay Area. To learn about LID on the ground in your neighborhood, visit www.bluegreenbldg.org.
