Tag Archives: stormwater

Stormwater is a Visible Component at Botanical Garden

swamp-lily-474446_640A Florida nonprofit organization has constructed and enacted a sustainable plan to capture rainwater for reuse in irrigation. In the true spirit of “it takes a village”, the Naples Botanical Gardens put together a robust team of professionals to develop its master building plan. According to an article in the Naples (Florida) News, the team included landscape architects, garden professionals, a restoration ecologist and a civil engineer.

Throughout the development, the team addressed the unglamorous topic of stormwater management by bringing it to the forefront and highlighting its importance in managing a sustainable lifestyle.

Stormwater becomes a visible component of the landscape.

“Stormwater isn’t sexy,” says Deputy Director Chad Washburn, pointing out that managing stormwater is vital to the project. “We are in the habit of hiding stormwater runoff, but whether visitors realize it or not, we are showcasing it at Naples Botanical Garden.”

Visitors are greeted in the parking lot by a collection of rain gardens and three “bioswales”. According to Rain Garden Network, a rain garden is a shallow depression that is planted with deep-rooted native plants and grasses. The garden should be positioned near a runoff source like a downspout, driveway or sump pump to capture rainwater runoff and stop the water from reaching the sewer system.

The runoff is captured during the rainy season and saved for reuse during drier times, giving the gardens much needed water to allow species like gumbo-limbo, cypress, leather fern, swamp lilies and palmettos to survive and thrive.

Understanding the Life Cycle of Water

river-209755_640The continual movement of rainfall from the bodies of water, land, and the atmosphere is part of the hydrologic cycle.

The cycle starts with condensation. When water vapor condenses in the atmosphere it forms clouds, when the condensation becomes too heavy rain is formed and the clouds release the rain.

water lifecycleWhen rainfall reaches the surface it infiltrates into the soil, becoming groundwater. The infiltrated groundwater recharges our aquifers, rivers and lakes. Water that runs off the surface is referred to as stormwater.  Water is returned to the atmosphere through evaporation by the sun heating the water, changing it to a gas and it rises into the atmosphere and becomes vapor again.

Depending on soil conditions, the movement of stormwater  across the surface can cause erosion and also carry pollutants into our bodies of water. This is why stormwater management is so important. Storm water management practices such as infiltration, or collection, slow down the process of surface water runoff and helps keep erosion to a minimum. Much of the pollutants associated with stormwater runoff are not carried to our larger bodies of water – keeping our natural environment healthy.

Sustainable Rainwater Harvesting Practices

ARCSA conf 2014_2BlogRainBank Rainwater Systems president Ken Blair is ARCSA’s Western Regional Representative

RainBank Rainwater Systems president Ken Blair is excited to accept the position of Western Regional Representative for the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA), whose mission is “to promote sustainable rainwater harvesting practices to help solve potable, and non-potable, stormwater and energy challenges throughout the world.”

Ken has more than ten years’ experience in design and installation of systems and supports ARCSA as a lifetime member. He is an accredited professional, inspector specialist, as well as a published contributor to magazine articles, case studies, books and publications.

Ken will be reaching out to local agencies and community organizations to educate them on best practices and benefits of rainwater collection and sustainable rainwater harvesting. RainBank Rainwater Systems will share scheduled ARCSA events on our blog, as well as lending a hand with ARCSA events and education classes. Ken will be an advisor to the education committee of ARCSA and will assist with planning of local events and classes.

If you are interested in more information, or have questions or comments concerning rainwater collection, please contact Ken Blair using the easy form below.