The water coming from your driveway or parking lot or tennis court could be giving the environment fits. Have you considered reducing your runoff from stormwater ? Here is the way to do it.



1) Make your "pavement footprint" smaller. That means that if you have an asphalt driveway, make it shorter or thinner. You can get asphalt that is porous enough to let the water through also. If you see a river in your asphalt driveway after a rain storm, consider helping in this area of letting the water go where it wants to go; underground.




2) Remove the gutter spouts from the sewer system. The top of your house has a large square meter ( or square foot ) area that it takes up. The rain from you roof needs to get into the ground and your gutter spouts are the key. You can direct them into the yard with a concrete slab or something that is similar in shape.



3) Install grass on open bare ground. If you have spots where the grass has not yet grown or is dead, consider covering it with something. Sod works well and will allow the rain to seep into the ground instead of run off somewhere else.



4) Use plants that are local to your environment for landscaping. This reduces the need for planting grass and keeps the local flora growing as it wishes. The birds and other animals will like you for this gift.



5) Reduce usage of pesticides. These chemicals should never be allowed to touch the ground. They do one thing and one thing only; kill. Therfore keep them off of your own yard and out of the local water supply.



6) Rather than using water to clean your patio or garage, use a broom. You will sweep less contaminants into the local creeks and rivers this way.



7) Compost your food and yard scraps. If you have a garden, this is already a must but it also helps to keep garbage out of your local landfill and therefore to keep the earth cleaner.



8) Use fertilizers with care. If you do not know the effect of the fertilizer you are using, simply do not use it. It may make a few things grow in your yard or garden, but it may also make fish in the river die.



9) If you have pets such as dogs, train them to use a designated area to relieve themselves. Would you want to swim in a river or pond where you knew the water washed the neighborhood's feces into it ? Remember to keep the earth clean for future generations.



The major goal to this is to keep the water going where it always gone; into the earth and then into the rivers and streams. The current trend is to have the rain water going directly from the clouds to the rivers and picking up all kinds of trash. Pavement makes this happen. Give yourself a clear conscience and do your best to keep rain going into the ground where it belongs.