10 ways to protect streams by water consciously landscaping your yard

#1 Use a rain barrel

A rain barrel is a large water barrel that is attached to your downspout to collect rainwater. Using a rain barrel gives you a free supply of water for watering your garden. Using rainwater is a sustainable alternative to watering with tap water. Plants prefer rainwater and this also means less water needs to be chemically treated by the water company. If you have a big garden you might need a large rain barrel.

#2 Build a rain garden Gardens that are designed to collect rainwater are called rain gardens. Letting the garden collect water keeps the soil moist for longer and prevents storm water runoff. When more water is allowed to percolate naturally into the soil, this help clean and slow down the water. Rain gardens should be planted with moisture loving native plants. #3 Use swales to direct water through the landscape Stand in your landscape during a rainstorm and watch as the water flows across it. If there are areas where you would like to direct it you can build a swale. A swale is a small ditch that can be as small as an inch deep. The rainwater follows the swale through the garden. Swales that are very curvy help to slow the speed of the water and promote infiltration. Slowing water as is moves across the landscape prevents erosion and flash floods. #4 Use less salt in winter Limit salt on your paths, sidewalks, and driveways in winter. To keep your walkways from being slick use an alternative like ashes, bird seed, or sand. Direct water away from your paths using swales. Surfacing your paths with a rough material like gravel or wood chips helps to keep them from being slippery and permeable surfaces allow water to seep away faster. Salt is harmful to plants and soil microbes in your garden and harmful to aquatic life once it reaches the stream. If you have to use salt use as little as possible.

#5 Don't use fertilizer It is easy to add too much fertilizer to your landscape and the extra fertilizer flows into the creek and creates an algae bloom. To prevent the risk of over fertilizing, garden with native plants that don't need fertilizers. #6 Safely dispose of yard waste It is a common practice to dump yard waste into forgotten corners at the edge of our neighborhoods. Usually there is a neglected creek nearby which is polluted by all the extra organic matter. Even some municipalities that collect yard waste will dump it near a stream. Make sure that your yard waste is being composted a safe distance from streams. #7 Remove invasive plants Streams are often protected corridors for wildlife to live and travel. Stream corridors can be infested with invasive plants easily from our landscapes because of seeds traveling with storm water or birds bringing seeds from our gardens to the stream. Protect streams by removing all invasive plants on your land. #8 Grow deep roots Trees and many native plants grow large root systems deep into the earth. Deep root systems help to evaporate water in the soil by pumping water through the plant and back into the atmosphere. Roots also improve soil by breaking it up and adding organic matter which helps the soil absorb more water. #9 Stop errosion Soil erosion is a big problem in streams where stream life is smothered by all the mud in the water. When spaces between rocks in the creek bed are filled with sediment aquatic life has no place to attach or hide from predators. Protect garden soil from eroding by covering bare soil with mulch or plants. Slow down storm water flow to allow soil to settle out of the water before it gets to the stream. Lawn is a cause of many erosion problems because the short root system does not hold the soil in place and the short leaves allow water to quickly flow across. #10 Make zero runoff your goal Take responsibility for every drop of rain that lands on your landscape and try to keep it there. Slow down and infiltrate as much water as you can into the soil. Do a small part to protect your watershed starting with your own landscape.