Field Trip to the Stormwater Center at the University of New Hampshire

A keen group of engineers and town planners from Nova Scotia, an environmental engineer with Halifax Water and the Ecology Action Centre's Water Coordinator recently had the pleasure of visiting one of the leading stormwater research institutions in North America.  This trip was organized and funded by Nova Scotia Environment and the Climate Change Directorate as well as Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations.

The University of New Hampshire’s Stormwater Center (UNHSC) located in Durham, N.H. is dedicated to the protection of water resources through effective stormwater management.  One of the ways that UNHSC does this is through conducting primary field research on various stormwater treatment systems.  These include conventional systems such as swales and ponds, LID designs such as bioretention and gravel wetlands, and manufactured systems.  The image below shows the layout of their primary research site.

This stormwater research site collects water from a 3.6 hectare parking lot in Durham.  The stormwater is captured in the distribution box at the top of the image and equal volumes are piped to the various stormwater systems being tested.  Measurements from the outflow of the treatment systems are collected and tested at the sampling gallery at the bottom of the image.

Source: University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center, 2009 Biannual Report

The photos below show the various Best Management Practices (BMPs) on the site.

 Photo 1:
Manufactured system Stormtech Isolator in the foreground. Retention pond in the background.

Photo 2:
Dr. Ballestero from UNHSC standing in the Retention Pond

Photo 3: 

The Subsurface Gravel Wetland, slightly overgrown with vegetation.  The diagram below shows how the Subsurface Gravel Wetland works.

Source: University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center, 2009 Biannual Report

This method is one of the most effective ways of removing dissolved inorganic nitrogen and total phosphorous, as well as controlling peak flow.

Results from all of  UNHSC's stormwater BMP testing are available at the UNHSC website under publications.  

Nova Scotia's record rainfall

 Heavy rainfall events caused severe flood damage in Truro (Photo: Paul Palmeter, CBC, Sept  23, 2012)

From CBC News - October, 2, 2012:

September 2012 was the wettest September on record in Nova Scotia, with 386.8 millimetres of rain, according to Environment Canada.

The figures, released Monday morning, show rainfall amounts at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport smashed the previous September record — 308.7 millimetres, set in 1996.

This September's rainfall amounts are also very close to the all-time wettest month on record in the province — August 1971, when 387.1 millimetres of rain was recorded.

The last weekend of September proved to be a wet one for many Nova Scotians:

• Greenwood — 23.6 millimetres.
• Halifax Stanfield International Airport — 42.4 millimetres.
• Ingonish — 20 millimetres.
• Kentville — 27.6 millimetres.
• Malay Falls — 109 millimetres.
• Port Hawkesbury — 66.2 millimetres.
• Sydney — 18 millimetres.
• Upper Stewiacke — 45.2 millimetres.
• Yarmouth — 59.2 millimetres.

Earlier in September, heavy rains caused two rivers to overflow in the Truro area, forcing the evacuation of dozens of homes.

The area was pummelled with more than 75 millimetres of rain in one day, which caused more than $2 million worth of damage

Slow it, spread it, sink it

We wanted to share this great video by the US Environmental Protection Agency that shows a number of ways to reduce stormwater runoff including rain gardens, rain barrels and green roofs. Many of these best practices can be used at your home. The goal of these tools is to 'slow, spread and sink' the stormwater to keep it from polluting downstream waters.

We built a rain garden!

Thanks to everyone who participated in our rain garden community build at the George Dixon Community Centre last week. Check out the short video below to see how it went!

Rain garden community build!

You are invited to take part in a rain garden community build at the George Dixon Community Centre, 2502 Brunswick Street in Halifax. The event will take place on September 12th from 12-2 pm. 
Please RSVP to water@ecologyaction.ca 

Click here to read our February blog post on rain gardens.

Xeriscape Gardening

We are happy to share another blog post written by Mike Price. This time Mike covers xeriscape (zer-i-skape) gardening, a method of gardening that reduces water and energy use. Climate change is resulting in hotter and drier summers, which means we need to consider new water-efficient ways to  maintain our lawns and gardens. 

Not only did Mike Price write this blog, he also shared a great photo of  his water-efficient garden!

Xeriscaping … a natural, water-efficient
 garden for surviving hot and dry summers

Designing landscapes that match local conditions with xeric (or water-wise) plants, trees and shrubs that will thrive. Xeriscaping literally means dry gardening and was invented in Colorado in the 1980’s. 

Do you have to re-engineer your whole garden to switch to this "xeriscaping"?

No you don't. You can change part of it. Maybe you have a problem area where your present maintenance isn't working well. Maybe you have an area that isn't very attractive in its present state. Eventually you may want to change your whole yard to an Eco-garden, but you can do it a section at a time.

If areas are to be paved for recreation purposes then open joints allow for rain-water to soak into the ground rather than running off the property.

The best way to plan the change is to check with your local nursery, or check in a book or on the internet to find which plants are drought-tolerant, then move the plants that need regular, frequent watering to another part of your garden and replace them in your new dry land area with new plants known to be drought-tolerant.

Is this stuff hard?

This is not rocket science. It's the old learning curve: steeper at first, easier later. Most plants are quite adaptable and give you lots of warning when all is not well with them. And gardens are often somewhat of a "work-in-progress". Plants die, get too big, don't do what you thought they would, or would look better in some other part of the garden. But if you move plants around too often, sticking them here, then there, it’s known as ‘velcro-gardening’!

If you are going to try xeriscap gardening, you do need to know a bit more about plants and soils than the "water every few days" that is adequate when you have loads of rain-water.

There are seven principles of xeriscape gardening. Check out the details at the Toronto Water website. 

By following these seven basic principles when xeriscaping your lawn and garden, you can create a lush, colourful and unique garden that requires less maintenance and water – leaving you to sit back and enjoy your summer. Or travel without worrying about who will water what!

Water-wise plants for xeriscaped gardens

For a complete list of suitable plants that are readily available, visit your local garden centre or look on websites such as the Urban Farmer.

It is a safe bet when looking for drought tolerant plants to pick ones with grey or bluish foliage, usually a sign that they can take the heat and need little water.

Xeriscape Demonstration Gardens

Fort Collins, Colorado

Attributes of good Xeriscape education gardens include labels for plant materials, other interpretive materials such as brochures and plant lists, grouping of plant by similar water needs, ease of public access including ADA standards and availability of knowledgeable persons to explain the garden to visitors. Feedback from visitors to the garden owners or managers should be encouraged.

As a real ‘alternative’ garden concept one could even consider “hugelkultur” instead of irrigation! 

Rain Chains

Rain Chain (Photo: M.Price)

Rain chains are a great, decorative alternative to traditional downspouts. They are linked chains that visibly transport water from your roof gutter to the ground. They are a beautiful addition to any home or building and can contribute to runoff reduction through evaporation and spillage as well as reduce soil erosion. Rain chains have been used for centuries on homes and temples in Japan to transport and collect water in large barrels or ceramic pots.

There are two main rain chain designs that are commercially available – cup designs and link designs. The cups have open bottoms and act as funnels, draining water from one cup to the next. Cup designs are more efficient than the traditional link designs that tend to splash more in heavy rains. Both links and cups emit pleasing sounds when water cascades down the chains.

Rain chains are easy to install. They hang from the hole in your gutter where the downspout would connect and often come with simple installation guidelines. You can order rain chains online, find them in stores like Lee Valley Tools or you can make your own!

Photo: www.ecofriend.com

Photo: www.apartmenttherapy.com

Photo: www.altollmfg.com