Keep your beautiful view just that. Beautiful.
Living in the Greater Rochester area, we are blessed with the gift of abundant water. Our many rivers and streams, the Finger Lakes and Lake Ontario deserve our protection. We can help preserve these treasures one garden at a time!
In our changing world, preserving our natural resources is more important than ever. Rainwater gardens to absorb runoff, rain barrels to collect water to use later for watering and using permeable pavements for patios, walks and driveways are excellent and attractive ways to help preserve our clean water.
Hard, impervious areas of our properties – roofs, driveways, walks and patios have replaced the native soil which once captured rain water. Now excess rainwater runs into storm sewers and, untreated, into our streams, rivers and lakes. This water contains pollutants such as fertilizer, pet waste, eroded soil, oil and gas and litter. The runoff water pollutes our waterways and, inevitably, our drinking water.
Permeable Pavements
An interlocking concrete pavement, with a special underlying construction of washed stone allows water to drain through to the subsoil. Extremely common in Europe and gaining popularity in the US, permeable pavements can be used residentially for driveways, walkways, patios and paths.
See what happens to a wheelbarrow full of water on this patio.
Learn more about this amazing technology.
Rain Gardens
Rainwater gardens provide a beautiful way to alleviate storm water and runoff pollution. A rain garden accepts runoff water originating from a downspout, driveway, patio or slope.
The water a rain garden accepts is slowly filtered and cleaned before it enters the subsoil. Planted with native plants that can handle periodic flooding, the result is a beautiful, low-maintenance garden with a mission: keeping our water clean!
For more information on rain gardens, visit raingardens.org
