Slow the Flow Water: Slow it, sink it, spread it, share it
The ‘aha!’ moment for me was the washing out of a local public park’s gazebo after a heavy rain storm. The water coming off the hill above is, by design, controlled to ‘manage’ the stormwater by asphalt and concrete surfaces, fed into metal-directed, concrete drains and catch basins, forced into large concrete pipes and then thrust out in million-cubic-yard volumes into the local waterways. These waterways are of fresh surface water, brackish and tidal waters (creeks) and salt water (sound and ocean). Our outmoded concepts of storm water show our attitude toward water being part of the larger linear consumption model and we simply ‘throw it away.’
By redirecting the runoff from our many types of buildings’ roofs, we can keep the rain water as close to the land on which it fell. We know that for each 1 inch of rain, the 20,000 gallons can be managed by an acre of healthy soil. We will go through the many aspects and metrics of the concept of rainfall, while keeping an eye out for the certain prospects of heavier rain and more often as we suffer the disruption of climate in the near future.
It sounds so simple that we can use a dozen Nature-based Solutions to both reduce the costs and trouble of ‘managing’ stormwater by increasing our soil organic matter; and by coupling these practices with thoughtful changes in design of our buildings, we can achieve healthier and more sponge-like soils.
These are profound and impactful changes made at the local and bioregional levels, and the participants in this workshop will discover and adopt a dozen ways to Slow the Flow in their own communities. We will assess these techniques and decide on the social, economic and environmental applications for the greatest impact for your own situation.
