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Partner the Water

Details

Commenced:	01/05/2015
Submitted:	30/11/2015
Last updated:	30/11/2015
Location:	429 Westgate Road, Baltimore, MD, US
Phone:	866-937-6556
Climate zone:	Warm Temperate

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Partner the Water

Project Type

Residential

Project Summary

Remediating flooding and erosion due to stormwater runoff coupled with impermeable soil on a sloped suburban property.

Project Description

This project is on my property, which is on a diagonal N/S slope, with heavy stormwater runoff coming from the NW and NE sides. A breached underground municipal pipe funnels additional water from properties further uphill and releases it across the back yard; as the soil is primarily clay builders' loam with shallow topsoil that quickly becomes saturated, I've had repeated basement floods and the property has significant erosion issues. In previous years I've made small, low-cost attempts to deal with the issue, including several rain gardens on the lowest areas of the property. After further study and meetings with several consultants and a local surveyor this year, however, the long-range strategy is to divert runoff into a rain garden at the source, with swales and a hugelkultur berm as secondary catchment. To help break up and enrich the builders' loam, I'll also be adding cover crops of daikon radish and clover to the mini-forest garden of blueberry bushes and fig, pear, and peach trees planted in May 2015. A healthy patch of blackberries is already growing directly above the breached stormwater pipe. Mid-range vision: this is a suburban neighborhood, very mainstream. Most of my neighbors struggle with similar soil and flooding issues. By sharing the story (and the harvests) of this project with the community, I hope to build the neighbors' awareness and inspire similar projects up and down the street. In terms of very long-range outcome: this street is at the top of a long hill; the low-income community at the very bottom is regularly flooded out. If this project succeeds and sparks similar projects among the neighbors, we could potentially improve the lives of the residents downstream.

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