22 Apr 2010

GREENhillHOME: Are you RiverSmart Smart?

Uploaded to flickr by Ad-Images.

Happy Earth Day!  It’s the hope of this writer and blog that you take a moment today to recommit yourself to all the ecologically-minded things you do as well as consider taking some additional steps to reduce your impact on the environment.  Got recycling under control?  Using cloth bags instead of plastic, saving your nickels and maybe the Anacostia?  Now you’re composting you say?  How about reducing stormwater runoff on your property through the RiverSmart homes program?

Stormwater is any water that falls to the earth, hits the ground without being absorbed, and moves by gravity into runoff areas.  In nature these runoffs are streams, rivers, and gullies.  In the city, we have stormwater drains and sewers, but the quantity of water we channel from our urban properties doesn’t often get reduced through absorption into the soil because of the amount of paved and impervious surfaces we have.  This surcharge eventually makes its way to bodies of water, along with any toxins, chemicals, and trash it may pick up along the way.  Reducing stormwater and improving the quality of the runoff that does enter the water systems can have a profound effect on the environment.

Through the District Department of the Environment, homeowners can earn up to $1,200 for installing pre-approved landscape “enhancements”—shade trees, rain barrels, pervious paving, rain gardens, and native planting or “BayScaping.”  The benefits of undertaking these improvements are many.  Simply planting a shade tree native to this area helps to stabilize the soil (preventing erosion), offers shade and thus cooler ambient temperatures, increases the habitat available for native wildlife, and can improve the aesthetic of a yard.  Native plants and trees also soak up water from the surrounding soil.  They require less irrigation because they are acclimated to rainfall levels for this area.  A rain barrel can be installed to work with your existing gutter and downspout system, collecting water that would have simply been discharged into the storm drain.  This collected water can be used to tend to yards and plants or wash your car, reducing the use of potable water and your water bill.  Pervious paving allows water to seep into the soils below, reducing the amount that simply runs across that surface and into the storm drain.

DC Greenworks installing a rain barrel. Uploaded to flickr by dcmetroblogger.

In order to qualify for the mini-grant, homeowners must fill out an online application, and one of the RiverSmart program representatives will visit your home to determine what stormwater mitigation efforts would best suit your property.  Homeowners can also purchase and install a rain barrel on their own (provided it’s an approved model) and qualify for a $50 or $100 rebate without going through a site analysis.

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2 responses to “GREENhillHOME: Are you RiverSmart Smart?”

  1. Just161 says:

    Chris at Frager’s has a couple of really nice models of rain barrels in the back – I just installed two, and they work great.

    The only thing is that a solid rainstorm easily fills the barrels (remember, it’s the whole surface area of your roof – alot of volume), and they didn’t come with overflow spouts to direct the overflow away from the house. So, out back I attached a regular garden hose and ran it to the alley. Out front I attached about 10 feet of clear PVC tube (Frager’s basement) and snaked it through the garden, and drilled holes in the last four feet or so the overflow water will irrigate the garden.

  2. Jon says:

    @Just161: great points, and good that you found a solution. You can also run the overflow hose to the storm drain connection on your property, where your downspouts previously may have been directed. If you run the overflow to the alley, just make sure the water exiting your property has somewhere to go–preferably a short distance to a storm drain–so it doesn’t pond or have an opportunity to take up oils and other pollutants.

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