There is far more to creating a quality residential development than grading a property and putting up homes. Conservation design looks at natural features, site constraints, and stormwater management -- long before construction ever begins.
There is far more to creating a quality residential development than grading a property and putting up homes. Conservation design looks at natural features, site constraints, and stormwater management -- long before construction ever begins.
Studies by internationally acclaimed Stroud Water Research Center have shown that healthy forests bordering streams not only prevent numerous pollutants from reaching the water, but also multiply the stream's natural ability to cleanse itself of pollutants that do make their way into the water. On a small farm that is typical of many in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, best management practices including contour farming, terraces, and grass waterways work in tandem with a swale and forested buffer to protect the stream--and therefore, the Chesapeake Bay.
"The science is now clear," says Bernard Sweeney, PhD, Director of the Stroud Water Research Center, "that widespread implementation of streamside forest buffers is one of the simplest, most cost effective approaches to eliminating many of the problems of the Chesapeake Bay..."
The words "sustainable house" may conjure images of hippie throw backs living in grass shacks, geodesic domes, or some other dwelling that's wacky and weird, but the Rosses wanted to show that it's possible to live in a home that's "just like others in the neighborhood" -- but which is also in harmony with the natural world.
Minimizing the impacts of stormwater runoff through native landscaping, infiltration and harvesting for reuse was a goal from the start.
In cities, we have severely altered the natural water cycle; during storms, this can cause street and basement flooding and result in rainwater carrying pollution into our rivers and streams. Greening movements all over the country are finding new ways to manage this problem and are considering stormwater runoff as a resource instead of a waste.
Every homeowner can play a role and have a positive impact through simple actions like disconnecting downspouts, keeping storm drains clean, and diverting rooftop runoff into rain barrels.
When it rains in the City of Brotherly Love, problems soon follow because more than half the city has "combined" sewers - pipes that carry both storm water and sewage. When it rains, the system fills quickly. The surplus, which includes raw sewage and road oil, backs up into basements and gushes untreated into rivers through 164 overflow pipes.
Instead of going the route of many other cities and building miles-long, multibillion-dollar tunnels to hold storm-water overflows--and then pumping it back into the system when the rain stops--Philadelphia's 20-year stormwater management plan is based on "green infrastructure" and offers benefits that can be appreciated above the ground.
Philadelphia's plan envisions transforming the city into an oasis of rain gardens, green roofs, treescapes, and porous pavements, which advocates say is cheaper than tunnels and makes for a more liveable, prettier city with higher property values and better community health.
Whether you're a municipal official struggling to balance environmental protection with community growth, an engineers seeking to comply with permit demands, or an individual motivated to improve local waterway health, this series has something for you.
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