Over the weekend, a friend asked me to explain why I considered water runoff to be a waste. I told her to think of a rainy, wet day. The water rushes swiftly downhill sweeping up everything in its path: garbage, oil, pet waste, pesticides, etc. A grimy film settles on top of the water because of all the gasoline and oil that it picked up along the way.

The water, now sufficiently polluted, flows down storm drains. It is then released (untreated) into nearby rivers, streams, wetlands, and oceans. It has detrimental effects on marine life symptoms include coral bleaching and dead zones. It also affects human health as these same streams and rivers provide drinking water, recreation, and fishing.

What can be done to minimize the impact?

Rainwater cisterns and rainwater gardens are some tools that can be used on both large and small scales. Cisterns capture the water and store it until it can be repurposed for non-potable uses (cleaning, watering gardens, etc.). Rainwater gardens absorb excess moisture while naturally filtering out harmful substances. Stay tuned to NGN for an in-depth look at rainwater gardens.