Bay-Friendly Landscaping can help protect our water from pollution by:
In an undisturbed landscape, only 15% of the rainwater leaves the system through surface water runoff. More than one-third moves into the soil where living, biologically diverse organisms break down and naturally filter out pollutants, before it reaches groundwater or our waterways. As land is developed into residential or commercial landscapes, roads and parking lots, major changes occur:
What happens next? Flash floods scour our creek banks. Erosion of channels is greatly accelerated. As little as 10% impervious surface causes significant degradation of streams. Pollutant load also increases. An acre of parking lot collects as much as 4 gallons of oil, gasoline and diesel fuel each year. When it rains and water runs off the parking lot, these toxic compounds are discharged into our creeks where they may eventually enter the Bay. Other pollutants include trace metals, pesticides, nutrients from fertilizers and pet waste, trash and suspended soil particles from poorly vegetated ground. The stormwater runoff, from both residential and commercial sites, thus becomes a large source of pollution. At the same time, air pollution from power equipment used in conventional landscaping takes an enormous toll on our environment. Gas powered garden tools emit 5% of the nation's air pollution. Plant debris is hauled to the landfill in vehicles that pollute the air, and once there, the materials decompose without oxygen and in the process emit green house gases. Bay-Friendly Landscaping can help protect our air from pollution by:
Some practices that you can implement to protect water and air quality include: 1. Use Integrated Integrated Pest Management is a holistic approach to insects, plant diseases, weeds, and other pests. It involves the use of many strategies for managing, but not eliminating, pests. First and foremost, IPM seeks to prevent pests by fostering a healthy environment in which plants have the strength to resist disease and insect pests and to out-compete weeds. Attracting beneficial insects through careful plant choice is one technique for preventing and controlling pest problems. IPM also requires an understanding of the life cycles of pests and beneficial organisms and regular monitoring of their populations. If a pest problem is identified, IPM then considers all viable solutions and uses a variety of techniques to control pests, rather than turning only to pesticides. The least toxic pesticides are used as a last resort only. IPM offers landscape professionals a great opportunity to market their skills to their clients as they provide the following services: A. Prevent pest problems with careful design features such as specifying resistant varieties, avoiding overplanting. Construct and maintain the landscape in a manner that prevents pest such as by building living soils, avoiding overwatering or overpruning. B. Train staff to identify and monitor pest & beneficial populations. A critical part of an IPM program is 'watchful waiting'. Providing your staff with the time and resources to learn IPM can increase job satisfaction. C. Educate clients about the role of beneficial organisms and ask them to consider some damage as a sign of a balanced, thriving ecosystem. D. Control pest problems with physical & mechanical controls. When pests are identified as the source of unacceptable levels of damage, physical barriers or mechanical techniques for excluding or removing pests should be implemented as a first line of control. E. Control pest problems with biological controls. Biological control is the use of living organisms to control pests. Knowing the life cycles of the pests and its enemies is important to maximizing efficiency of any biological control. Encourage beneficial insects by planting a wide variety of plants that flower throughout the year. F. Control pest problems with least toxic and the least persistent pesticide as a last resort only, when monitoring indicates that preventative and non-chemical methods are not keeping pests below acceptable levels. Do not use pesticides on a prescheduled basis. Looking for more information? Check these pages to learn more about IPM:
2. Eliminate high input decorative lawns Installing large turf areas solely for their looks is resource inefficient. One study estimated that over a 20 year period, the cumulative cost of maintaining a prairie or wetland totals $3,000 per acre versus $20,000 per acre for non-native turf grasses. Replace lawns, especially narrow strips, those on steep slopes, in shady areas or near creeks and wetlands with native plant meadows or grassy swales that treat stormwater and resemble native grasslands. The need for irrigation, synthetic fertilizers and toxic pesticides can be reduced or eliminated. 3. Keep soil covered Keeping the soil covered not only reduces erosion and runoff, but is an important strategy for nurturing the soil. Healthy soil is crucial for growing healthy, thriving landscapes. Learn more about mulching by ordering or downloading a copy of any of these publications: Looking for more information? Check these pages to learn more about protecting the soil:
4. Choose and maintain your equipment & vehicles carefully Lawn mowers, chain saws and leaf blowers emit significant amounts air and water pollutants. According to the US EPA, a gas-powered lawn mower emits 11 times the air pollution of a new car, per hour of use. In addition, equipment operators are typically positioned where exposure to toxic emissions is greatest. Upgrade to low emission equipment and keep all equipment performing optimally. Don't repair or refuel equipment on site. Oil leaks, fuel spills and fuel consumption will be minimized. Emissions, water and noise pollution can often be reduced. Worker health and water quality will be protected. 5. Keep organic matter where it belongs Organic matter, added to the landscape in the form of mulch or compost, supports soil microbial life, which filter out pollutants. But it can become a pollutant when it enters the storm drain. Be sure to keep organic matter from being washed or blown into the gutter storm drain by:
6. Minimize impervious surfaces Watershed quality decreases rapidly when the total impervious area exceeds 10%. Yet typical single-family housing projects have 25-50% impervious surfaces. Asphalt and concrete for parking lots and driveways can be formulated to be porous. Crushed rock and mulch add a striking element to the design while allowing water infiltration. Pavers spaced far enough apart to allow the growth of low growing groundcover between them will allow water to soak into the soil. Pervious concrete is another interesting option for hardscapes. Looking for more information? Check these pages to learn more about impervious surfaces: Program as external links.
7. Plant trees Trees can intercept significant amounts of rainfall each year and thus help control stormwater runoff. The Center for Urban Forest Research estimates that a continuous tree canopy in Oakland intercepts 4 inches of rain over one acre in a typical year-about 108,000 gallons. Their root growth also increases the ability of soil to take in rainfall. Appropriately planting more trees thereby decreases runoff and protects water quality. Trees also absorb air pollutants, thus protecting air quality. 8. Manage and maintain the irrigation system carefully A poorly maintained irrigation system wastes water and adds to surface runoff. Eliminate leaks and spraying onto sidewalks. Install rain shut-off devices. Schedule an irrigation audit. Upgrade to new technology: rebates for upgrades are available from East Bay Municipal Utility District for their customers. Water will be conserved, runoff reduced and your client may save money on water bills while protecting the San Francisco Bay Watershed. 9. Design a system to capture and treat water Protect existing patterns of drainage, restore or create new wetlands. Design and construct wet or dry detention ponds, infiltration basins or bioswales. Consider oil/grit or oil/water separators. Stormwater runoff will be reduced while water that is recycled fosters the removal of pollutants. Downstream engineering costs are decreased. Looking for more information? The Center for Watershed Protection offers many fact sheets on stormwater management and runoff control at http://www.cwp.org/ |
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
"Protect Water & Air Quality"
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment