{"id":94,"date":"2019-03-12T23:10:32","date_gmt":"2019-03-12T23:10:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.forsea.org\/erosion-2\/"},"modified":"2023-04-02T03:32:45","modified_gmt":"2023-04-02T03:32:45","slug":"erosion-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.forsea.org\/erosion-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Spare That Shrub \u2013 Do Your Part To Control Erosion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/a><\/td>\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

Spare
\nThat Shrub<\/font>

\n  –
\nDo Your Part To Control Erosion<\/font><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nRain
\nhas long been the single word most identified with the Puget
\nSound region. In a watershed that consists largely of forest
\nland and farmland, most rain soaks slowly into the ground and
\ngradually drains to nearby surface waters or into the groundwater.
\nAs forests and hillsides are cleared and wetlands are filled
\nfor development, more of the water runs off instead of soaking
\ninto the ground. As the Puget Sound basin has developed, changes
\nin land use have increased seasonal flooding.<\/font><\/td>\n		<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\n

Roofs, roads,
\nparking lots, sidewalks, driveways and other hard surfaces are
\nimpervious to rain. Virtually all of the rain that falls on these
\nsurfaces has nowhere to go but downhill, fast. As a result, flooding
\nincreases in frequency and severity. A short, intense rainstorm
\nthat only slightly raised water levels in the past, now turns
\na stream into a torrent. The speed of water moving across the
\nland and in the streams increases and accelerates soil erosion.
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

Much of the
\nsoil washed off vacant lots, cleared land, uncontrolled construction
\nsites, and from road cuts is carried into streams and can eventually
\nreach Puget Sound. In streams, this sediment smothers plants and
\nanimals that live in the shallows and clogs the clean gravel needed
\nby spawning salmon. In bays and inlets of the Sound, this sediment
\nsmothers lingcod spawning grounds and eelgrass beds. This runoff
\nmay also include a variety of pollutants. Metals from downspouts
\nand pipes, paints, brake linings, engine drippings and tires join
\nnutrients from lawn fertilizers, detergents, animal wastes, and
\nfailing septic tanks. Bacteria and oxygen-demanding substances
\nfrom farm animal and pet waste, failing septic systems and combined
\nsewer outflows are carried downstream by the runoff. As if these
\nweren’t enough, oil and grease from parking lots, roads, service
\nstations and illegal disposal of waste oil into storm drains combines
\nwith other toxic chemicals that may be released from industrial
\nand commercial businesses. <\/font><\/p>\n

<\/a>Dealing
\nwith Surface Runoff <\/font>

\nWhat can be done to treat these rainy day blues? Natural wetlands
\nslow the flow of runoff and filter pollutants from the water passing
\nthrough them. Help to preserve wetlands in your neighborhood and
\nthroughout Puget Sound. When development occurs, insist that best
\nmanagement practices be used. These include detention ponds which
\nallow pollutants to settle, infiltration devices which channel
\nrunoff through the soil layer, and grassy swales which use vegetation
\nto filter runoff. <\/font><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n
Reduce
\nyour use of impervious surfaces. Use spaced paving stones instead
\nof concrete, ground cover instead of grass, and pervious asphalt
\ninstead of standard.<\/font><\/td>\n		Plant
\ngrass along and in drainage ditches or channels to slow the
\nrate of runoff and help filter pollutants.<\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Where
\nimpermeable surfaces are used, divert rain from the paved surfaces
\nonto grass or into vegetation to permit gradual absorption.<\/font><\/td>\n		Use
\ngrass-lined swales, berms, and basins to control runoff on your
\nproperty, reduce its speed, and increase the time over which
\nthe runoff is released.<\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Preserve
\nthe established trees around your home and in your neighborhood.
\nPlant new trees and shrubs to encourage excess rainwater to
\nfilter slowly into the soil. Plant and maintain a vegetated
\nbuffer strip at the base of steep slopes and along water bodies.<\/font><\/td>\n		Resod
\nbare patches in your lawn as soon as possible and minimize bare
\nsoil in your garden to avoid erosion.<\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Install
\ngravel trenches along driveways or patios to collect water and
\nallow it to filter into the soil. To be most effective, trenches
\nshould be one foot wide by three feet deep. Grass swales, low
\nareas in the lawn, can be used to move water from one area to
\nanother.<\/font><\/td>\n		If
\nyou build a new home, ask your builder to leave as much of the
\noriginal vegetation as possible on site. Before you start construction
\ngrading, acquire a copy of the Associated General Contractors
\nbooklet, Waste Disposal and Erosion and Sediment Control Methods,
\nby calling (206) 284 -0061. Read the booklet and share it with
\nyour builder. <\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\n

<\/a>Permeable
\nPaving Surfaces <\/font>

\nBecause so many of our human landscape features are impervious,
\na few words about using paving surfaces that allow rainwater to
\nsoak into the ground seem in order. There are many materials that
\nprovide the durability of concrete while allowing rainwater to
\nfilter into ground. <\/font><\/p>\n

Bricks,
\ninterlocking pavers, precast concrete lattice pavers, or flat
\nstones make an attractive, durable walkway. If placed on well
\ndrained soil or on a sand or gravel bed, these modular pavers
\nallow rainwater infiltration. To control weeds growing in the
\nspaces between the pavers, consider Corsican mint or moss as a
\nnatural way to crowd out weeds and add beauty to the paved area.
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

Wood
\ndecks, usually installed for their functional good looks, can
\nserve as a form of porous pavement. Redwood, cedar, or treated
\nwood are as durable as most other paving surfaces. The spacing
\nin the decking allows rainwater to drain directly onto the soil
\nsurface and soak into the ground. Maintaining the distance between
\nthe soil surface and the decking recommended by your county building
\ndepartment will minimize risk of wood rot. <\/font><\/p>\n

New, porous
\nmaterials are also becoming available. For example, porous asphalt
\nis similar to conventional asphalt in durability and cost. You
\ncan use porous asphalt on your new driveway and encourage its
\nuse on streets and parking lots in your community. For specifics,
\ncall the Washington office of the Asphalt Institute at (859) 288-4960
\nor the Washington
\nDepartment of Ecology<\/a> at (360) 407-6000.. <\/font><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

\nStreamside Erosion<\/a><\/font><\/font><\/a><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spare That Shrub   – Do Your Part To Control […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":354,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template_6.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.forsea.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/94"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.forsea.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.forsea.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.forsea.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.forsea.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.forsea.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/94\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9250,"href":"http:\/\/www.forsea.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/94\/revisions\/9250"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.forsea.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.forsea.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}