SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES: Bring on the Rain

April showers (and November downpours) bring the need for landscapers to think about water. Stormwater that isn’t correctly managed can harness pollutants, carrying them into the water supply. Sustainable stormwater management uses techniques that copy the natural world by integrating stormwater into work sites, thereby reducing the impact of run-off on both natural and manmade water systems.

Besides being responsible for creating the look that clients want – be it lush green lawns, overflowing flower beds or geometric shrubs – landscapers are also responsible for meeting local and state requirements in regard to stormwater management, and for educating clients on the best type of planting for their specific area of the country. At each step of the landscape process, from design to implementation to maintenance, stormwater management needs to be carefully planned.

Many landscapers are realizing that acting to protect stormwater as it enters the water system is not only good for the environment, but good for their businesses. As awareness around water pollution, stormwater runoff and water issues continues to grow, more clients are looking for sustainable stormwater management solutions. Landscapers are finding that working in concert with the local environment, rainfall, and climate makes sense.

Educate

Partners for a Clean Environment (PACE) is an organization of local governments and businesses in Boulder County, Colo., that educates businesses on pollution prevention. PACE works to inform residents and landscapers about sustainable landscaping and offers certification to professionals who show they have an understanding of local plants, low water use and how to design lawns and outsides spaces without overusing chemicals.

“Erosion has been an issue with landscaping forever,” says Bill Hayes, PACE Team Lead. “Farmers have always worked to keep their topsoil from being washed off their fields. The concept of stormwater management is nothing new. However, in the last decade, stormwater management has become a water quality issue. As you move from the farmers to the urban planners, you are looking at flood control, the impact of hard surfaces and the water entering stormwater systems.”

Landscapers often find they need to educate clients on sustainable stormwater management as they consider the average local rainfall and the topography of each individual worksite. Kathy Vosburg, president and owner of Houston-based LandEscape explains, “The client/landscaper relation is one of trust. The landscape designer is the professional and an authority on many components that make up a beautiful, yet sustainable and environmentally friendly landscape.”

The landscaper should encourage homeowners to consider and implement components into the design that address stormwater management, such as rain catchment systems utilizing barrels and tanks, rain gardens and bogs, suggests Vosburg.

The need for sustainable stormwater management is becoming more important at both residential and commercial sites. Implementing the best management practices for stormwater treatment in or around public facilities not only shows the public that the department is committed to reducing the impacts of stormwater, but also serves as an educational tool.

“As more people see green roofs, bio-swales and rain gardens around their towns and in their parks, they will better understand how they function and realize the environmental and aesthetic benefits they can provide,” says Rob Dull, lead landscape designer for Snow Creek Landscaping in Arden, N.C. “Landscapers can play a major role in this process. Whether it’s specifying the right soil blends or plant species for a bio-retention cell, or being able to identify an invasive species that is impacting a natural stream or wetland. A landscaper can work with the public departments to further advance the techniques of rain management in their specific areas.”

Snow Creek believes in continuing education. It has several employees who hold or are pursuing certifications in various aspects of stormwater management. There are many local, state and national organizations that offer classes and seminars on sustainable stormwater management. The aspect of stormwater management in relation to the landscape industry promises to be a growing market and has positive impacts on everyone involved.

Site Specific

During construction, it’s important to keep a close eye on stormwater – both to protect against erosion and to keep landscaping material from getting into the stormwater system. Landscapers should carefully track all elements of water management, from dams to silt plans to erosion control blankets.

Once installed, water management structures should be checked frequently to ensure proper function, especially after large rain events. They should be maintained throughout the project to help control erosion from impacting any greater area than is absolutely necessary, Dull says.

“Once the final landscape is installed, the landscape contractor must also inspect the site to make sure all disturbed soils have been properly stabilized,” he explains. “This, in turn, will help to protect the client’s investment and will reduce the chances of erosion issues/repairs in the future. Taking a progressive approach to stormwater management throughout the whole process will not only reduce the environmental impact on-site, but will also reduce the overall impact on the watershed in which the site is located.”

Dull continues, “Here in western North Carolina, we contend with steep slopes. It makes it challenging to manage the water in the least disruptive way. Some of our common practices include utilizing rain gardens and bio-swales to treat surface flow, harvesting rain from roofs in cisterns for irrigation, using level-spreaders to disperse concentrated runoff from storm pipes, and installing dry-laid stone surfaces versus impermeable concrete or mortared stone. As each site differs, we aim to provide the most sustainable and economical solution to managing stormwater on-site and reducing the overall environmental impact of all our jobs.”

Keeping Water Clean

One of the most important issues in sustainable stormwater management is keeping organic and manmade substances out of storm drains and the water supply. Stormwater codes are often written very generally, because it would be impossible to list all the pollutants that could be washed into storm grates, rivers and streams.

“After an install, a homeowner or business owner needs to be aware of the impact to stormwater flow that leaves, grass, limbs and branches can have on drainage,” Vosburg says. “It isn’t uncommon for five inches of rain to fall quickly here in Houston and flood city streets and homes due to the stormwater drainage systems being clogged with organic matter.

“Also, there’s the issue of pet, chemical and automotive contaminants being washed through the stormwater systems, into our streams and bayous, into Galveston Bay and ultimately into the Gulf of Mexico,” Vosburg continues. “Landscape designers, installers and maintenance firms are in a position to make clients aware of alternative lawn and garden products that would have less of a water-born, negative impact on watersheds, wildlife and key food source populations.”

One sustainable solution to help stop landscaping materials from entering the stormwater system as landscapers work on sites is containment. When properly contained, landscape materials such as soils, mulch and gravel are not simply dumped on site in piles that can be washed away by the first rain. Containment also stops expensive materials from being contaminated by dirt.

Sustainable Savings

“Staying up to date with the latest green solutions for stormwater management can help landscapers by increasing estimate accuracy, installation efficiency, and overall job quality,” Dull says. “This in turn enables the company to function at its greatest potential. Not only does the sustainable approach to stormwater make sense environmentally, it also reduces the number of “go-back” related calls from clients to repair a washed out planting bed or other erosion related problems. By installing the right solution the first time, landscapers can reduce the costs associated with these job-site repairs.”

As technologies advance along with design strategies in stormwater management, there are more products becoming available for use by the landscape industry. Rain harvesting systems can be bought as complete packages, pre-vegetated green roof units can be delivered right to the job site, and erosion control blankets and coir logs are replacing traditional stone treatments. Many of these solutions are more economical than previous methods and materials.

The U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification program and the Sustainable Sites Initiative have brought more attention to stormwater management techniques and provided models for sustainable, low-impact development.

“It’s exciting to see people changing the way they look at the environmental impacts of stormwater on both a small and large scale,” Dull says. “Everyone can make a difference and by offering these services to our clients, Snow Creek is able to do our part everyday and feel good about the product we are providing.”

“I’d say for us it’s more of ‘what’s old is new again’ regarding the use of rain barrels or any large container to catch roof runoff for irrigating,” Vosburg says. Other Low Impact Development (LID) strategies for water management techniques include altering the topography to slow rainwater runoff, and minimizing non-permeable and porous paving surfaces. Utilizing native plants, which are best suited to local conditions, can also slow down stormwater runoff.
 
Working with sustainable stormwater management in mind, landscapers are striving to use fewer chemicals. If fewer chemicals are put into a site, then there is less of a potential that chemicals will wash away. This, in turn, means fewer chemicals to buy.

“Not only will using less keep chemicals keep them out of the water supply but by designing drought- and pest-resistant landscapes, clients and landscapers save money,” Hayes says.

Working to keep stormwater clean – whether by using battery-powered tools instead of gas-powered ones, planting islands of native grasses or keeping landscaping materials off driveways – is good for the environment and your business. The best landscapers know what falls from the sky comes around and around again. Simply put, protecting stormwater is protecting your livelihood.