This restores balance in the water
cycle, replenishes groundwater, reduces flooding, and protects
water quality.
Rain Garden - North Kingstown Town Hall
It is estimated that only about 10% of the precipitation that
falls on a forest leaves as surface runoff. The rest either
evaporates or soaks into the ground where it becomes groundwater.
Groundwater slowly discharges to surface waters, providing
a certain amount of base flow. This is why large surface water
bodies do not go completely dry during periods of little to
no rain.
Learn more about the water
cycle - click
here.
As watersheds become developed,
urbanization and an increase in paved surface areas such as
parking lots, driveways and rooftops
will change the water flow in the environment. More and more
precipitation “runs off,” traveling quickly to surface
water bodies, which results in:
- Overall
reduction in groundwater recharge
- Long-term
lowering of groundwater tables and loss of stream flow during
dry weather
- Increased
erosion of stream banks
- Increased
water quality impacts caused by pollutants associated
with urban runoff
- Flooding—especially
more frequent “flash” flooding
Learn more about stormwater
basics - click here
To reduce the amount of surface runoff leaving your yard:
Home
Landscape Improvements for Water Quality Protection -
publication
Use
vegetative plantings, mulch, or crushed stone to create buffers
and borders along buildings, driveways and streets. This will help
to capture rainfall and surface runoff and
to settle
and filter it.
Consider
installing a rain
garden to control and settle roof and other surface
runoff within your yard.
Maintain
natural vegetation or shoreland
buffers around surface water
edges and wetlands. Consider limiting the areas that are
maintained for access and view.
Smith's Castle Demonstration Site
If
you have natural woodlands on your property, consider
leaving them and learn more about woodscaping options.
Limit
the amount of paved surfaces in your yard and consider using
permeable paving materials for driveways, patios, and walkways.
Smith's Castle Demonstration Site
URI
Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (URI CE Water
Quality Program) -- visit their publication
page and look for porous
pavement series.
UConn
NEMO page on reducing runoff - low impact development
Use rain barrels or cisterns to
collect and store rainwater during the growing season
for watering plants.
Proper
livestock yard and pasture management.
For more information about reducing stormwater runoff and increasing
groundwater recharge
Healthy Landscapes pages:
Rain Gardens--enhancing
your home landscape and protecting water quality
Rain
Barrels
How to Build and Install a Rain
Barrel
Information about Cisterns
Livestock best management practices
Healthy Landscapes Demonstration
Sites
URI CE Home*A*Syst Program factsheets:
Home
Landscape Improvements for Water Quality Protection
Shoreland
Buffers and Water Quality Protection
Today's
Forest, Tomorrow's Legacy: A Guide for Small Acreage Woodland
Owners
Understanding water movement and
the water cycle
URI
Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (URI CE Water
Quality Program) -- visit their publication
page and look for their porous
pavement series.
RI Stormwater Solutions
UConn
NEMO page on reducing runoff - low impact development
