[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/EW-05-03-12-Storm-Water.mp3|titles=EW 05-03-12 Storm Water]
The next time you hear the pitter-patter of rain drops on your rooftop, or find yourself reaching for your umbrella, take some time to consider the fate of rainfall.
Some spring rain is absorbed by forests, fields, yards, and other areas with natural ground cover. But because soils are typically wet this time of year, a large percentage of spring rain ultimately winds up in ponds, streams, and other freshwater bodies as storm water.
On its journey through the landscape, storm water can pick up pollutants. Consider the rainfall on your rooftop. Unless you live on a farm, much of your home landscape is probably covered in hard surfaces. Rain water runs off your roof, down your driveway, and, in most cases, down a paved road and into a nearby storm drain.
By the time rainwater reaches the storm drain, it has picked up a variety of pollutants, from oils and road salt residue to lawn fertilizer and the pesticides you may have applied to your rose bushes. The speed of storm water is another problem. When it is finally delivered to a nearby stream, it is often flowing so fast that it can cause flooding, erosion, and sedimentation. This degrades water quality and wildlife habitat and can cause infrastructure problems.
Individual actions can make a difference. Consider installing a rain garden using native plants. This will help minimize run off from your property, while recharging groundwater supplies and providing wildlife habitat. And if you have gutters, direct their outflow to a vegetated part of your property, not your driveway.
Photo, taken on October 5, 2006, courtesy of Brave Heart via Flickr.