Agenda - Council Work Session - 02/28/2017

Home

TO DO/Reduce runoff from your driveway, patio or sidewalk: If you need to replace an existing hard surfaced area or would like to add an extra parking spot, patio, etc. install a porous surface that wit allow water to seep through. • Use cement or gravel tracks with a strip of vegetation in the middle for your driveway. • Use reinforced soil products so that you can create a grass or gravel driveway. • Place a drywell filter box of sand and crushed rock at the end of the driveway's down slope. • Create a channel or gentle berm that diverts water running down the driveway into a rainwater garden or turf depression. • Reduce unneeded impervious areas and replace it with vegetation. • Slope one side of the patio toward a vegetated area. TO DO/Reduce runoff from your lawn: Many lawns allow for little infiltration because the soil has become compacted during house construction. The following practices can increase infiltration. • Amend and aerate your soils. (see Improving Soil, pg 4) • Replace shallow rooted turf grass with deep rooted alternatives. (see Plant Selection, pg 7) • Create a rainwater garden (see Rain Gardens, pg 19) POLLUTION PREVENTION TO DO/Reduce pollution from impervious surfaces: • Clean up oil, gas, radiator fluid, and other leaks and spills on your driveway with absorbent cat litter, and then place in the garbage. Fix persistent leaks. • Sweep any fertilizer from the driveway into the grass. • Sweep up any grass clippings, leaves, and dirt (including those on the street). • Avoid using salt and chemical products for ice control. • Take your car to a commercial car wash facility, where wastewater is treated. TO DO/Reduce use of pesticides and fertilizers: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that homeowners and lawn care services apply nearly 70 million pounds of active pesticide ingredients (herbicides and insecticides) to urban lawns every year. Fertilizers are even more popular.