by Le Grand Chef

Created on: February 20, 2009   Last Updated: March 05, 2009

Storm water runoff is the direct result of Mother Nature's fury. It is the sudden release of precipitation in the form of water. It is not caused by over watering or irrigation, it is a sudden and unstoppable inflow of high volumes of rain. The damage storm water runoff will do is mostly in the form or erosion which has been known to do severe damage to physical property as well as garden beds.

There are four major issues that can be identified as the culprits that make storm water runoff a problem. They are; the source of the water, slope of the land, type of soil and the route the storm water runoff takes.

Find the Source/Fix the Problem

The average 30 X 30 house with a 3/12 pitch has 1350 square feet of water collecting surface. If you have two downspouts and the rain is falling at a rate of an inch an hour (moderate to heavy rainfall) each spout will be discharging approximately 50 gallons of water an hour. That concentration of water flowing directly into a flower or vegetable bed will cause extensive damage. The only way to stem the flow of this amount of water is to divert it away from the beds, or collect the water for later use. The simplest solution is collection, go the rain barrel route. Commercially produced rain barrels are available at most big box stores such as Home Depot or Lowes at moderate costs. An internet search will provide you with mail order suppliers or plans for do-it-yourself storage if local stores don't carry what you need. The rain barrel is a simple solution and very eco-friendly. Water soluble fertilizers can be mixed into the stored water for a big boost to the garden. For real gardening keeners, hook the barrel or barrels to a drip irrigation system and eliminate wasteful surface watering all together.

If you are an infrequent gardener or hire someone to take care of your landscaping and don't want to look at unsightly rain barrels, take a tip from the farmer and run drain tile beneath your flower beds, vegetable beds or lawns. This is an inexpensive and permanent solution to all runoff problems including flooding and storm water issues. Installation of tile will only disturb your landscaping for a year and its effectiveness in preventing garden and structural damage from water far exceeds the minor inconvenience of installation (really a DIY project). Simply locate an open end of one tile (which are plastic pipes full of holes, sometimes with a sock to keep out sand) right at the downspout. Run them downwards and away from foundations,

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