There are a variety of ways we can lesson our day-to-day impact by making small changes in our daily activities that can lesson the amount of pollution leaving our yards.
Properties that are on the water can help filter out pollutants by planting a buffer between their lawn and their adjacent waterway. Whether you have a bulkhead or a natural shoreline, a
Buffer helps to filter out a variety of pollutants and slow stormwater’s entrance to the waterway allowing more to permeate the soil instead of entering the river. Buffers also work to filter and slow water at your curbside, so installing buffers to reduce your street-side stormwater runoff also helps to improve water quality.
If you are looking for a lawn care professional or landscaper to help you develop a watershed-friendly landscape regime, look at the landscapers who have completed our
Lynnhaven Friendly Landscaper trainings and let them know that water quality is a priority for you as you work out a plan for your lawn and garden areas.
Reducing Stormwater Runoff
One of the easiest ways to do this is by simply reducing the amounts of stormwater that leaves our property. Adding a
Rain Barrel to a downspout is a simple and fun way to collect rainwater. Besides helping the waterways by reducing the amount of stormwater runoff, you have a free source of untreated water to water your plants, clean your garden shoes and a limitless number of other around-the-yard jobs. Another way to reduce the runoff from your yard is to add a rain garden. A
Rain Garden is simply a small bioretention area in your yard to hold stormwater long enough to allow it to filter down through the soil instead of adding to the amount of stormwater leaving your property.
Reducing Pollutants in Stormwater Runoff
There are a variety of ways we can lesson our day-to-day impact by making small changes in our daily activities that can lesson the amount of pollution leaving our yards.
Properties that are on the water can help filter out pollutants by planting a buffer between their lawn and their adjacent waterway. Whether you have a bulkhead or a natural shoreline, a Buffer helps to filter out a variety of pollutants and slow stormwater’s entrance to the waterway allowing more to permeate the soil instead of entering the river. Buffers also work to filter and slow water at your curbside, so installing buffers to reduce your streetside stormwater runoff also helps to improve water quality.
Other ways to reduce pollution include using the amount of fertilizer needed. Only a soil test can tell you how much your lawn or garden really needs. Visit our
Soil Tests page to find out the importance of soil tests and try a new watershed-friendly soil sample. More fertilizer guidelines can be found in our
Lawn Care for the Lynnhaven, as well as other ways to make your lawn care more watershed friendly. Our River Friendly Gardening publication can give you other suggestions to improve the overall health of the Lynnhaven while enjoying a beautiful landscape. And don’t forget, one of the most important things you can do to reduce pollutants in your stormwater runoff is to
Scoop The Poop. Dog waste contributes excess nutrients and harmful bacteria to our waterways.