Stormwater Management
Stormwater may be a source for pollutants in any community. As high stormwater flows accumulate and decend towards a collection point, they have a tendency to pick up pollutants along the way.
Stormwater management involves a combination of strategies to reduce run-off and the accumulation of pollutants which may negatively affect any community.
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Natural Approaches to Stormwater Management: Permeable Pavement
Country Lanes, Vancouver, B. C.
Background:
Alleys or back lanes in Vancouver, B.C. provide access to garages and are used for public services such as garbage pickup. Consequently, both passenger vehicles and heavy trucks frequently use these lanes. The city of Vancouver developed an environmentally sustainable "Country Lane" design that makes back lanes greener and more attractive. This alternative to paving asphalt lanes to full width is a response to the city's goal to reduce environmental impacts and to create a more livable community. The city also hopes to increase public awareness of stormwater issues.
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Stormwater & Your Community (OSU)
When water falls to earth as rain or snow most of it seeps into the ground. However, if the ground is saturated, frozen, or covered with impervious surfaces, precipitation flows over the land, creating stormwater runoff. It occurs everywhere and includes flows from storm drains and natural drainage courses serving industrial, commercial, residential, undeveloped, recreational, and agricultural lands. It can cause flooding, erosion, and pollution problems (Rouge River, 1995).
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TRPA- A Property Owner's Guide to Improving Water Quality
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Lake Tahoe is losing its crystal water clarity at the alarming rate of more than a foot a year. At
the current rate of decline, Lake Tahoe will lose its
blue brilliance in just 40 years. This loss of clarity is due primarily to the impacts of the residential, commercial, and recreational development of the Lake Tahoe Region over the last four or five
decades.
The good news is that there are positive steps we
can take to reverse the trend towards further decline.
All homeowners can take measures on their own
property to control the primary sources of pollution.
These pollution control measures are commonly
referred to as Best Management Practices, or
BMPs.
BMPs's do not have to be complicated to be effective.
In fact, the most effective BMPs are those which
mimic natural conditions.
A relatively simple revegetation project can enhance
the natural beauty of your property AND have a
significant positive environmental impact! Other
examples of BMPs include retaining structures, such
as timber walls; rock-lined infiltration trenches along roof drip lines and other impervious surfaces; and paved driveways.
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