In many parts of the world, particularly the less industrialized ones, flooding is often blamed on deforestation. However, recent studies by the United Nations show that even the thickest of forests may not stand a chance against continuous heavy rainfall.
Meanwhile, in low lying urban communities in the United States, flooding occurs even with average rainfall. If deforestation only contributes minutely to the surface runoff, it means there are other factors contributing to the rising incidents of flooding in cities.
One of the most apparent factors is the increase in impervious surfaces, or land areas covered by impenetrable substances like asphalt and concrete. On your property alone, for example, you might have paved a portion of your lawn to add a walkway or to extend your driveway.
Contributions from individual households such as the example.above, have a huge impact on the amount of runoff an entire community has to deal with in during heavy downpour. Reducing flooding means reducing the amount of runoff that each household contributes to the community sewer.
An article for OECOnline.org provides helpful stormwater solutions that can reduce the amount of water flowing into a community’s drainage system.
Disconnect the downspouts on your home’s rain gutters. Leave the gutters on, but direct the downspout into your yard rather than the sewer system. Be sure to first check with your Planning Department and see if this is legal in your area.
Much of the rainwater that goes into a community drainage system is conveyed from roofs by roof gutters. These gutters have downspouts that deliver the rainwater to the community sewer system. Disconnecting your downspout will direct the rainwater from your roof to your yard. If you’re worried that all the water would flood your property, consider adopting storm water solutions, such as a storm chamber.
A storm chamber will act as storage for rainwater that goes into your property. Some chambers are big enough to clear your lot of all runoff as soon as the rain stops. Additionally, you may want to use pervious materials as pavement in your yard. This will direct the water these materials will absorb to the chamber.
A reputable stormwater solutions company, like StormChamber, can provide you with a highly effective system that will not only benefit your own household, but the entire community as well.
(Source: How to Reduce Stormwater Runoff Around Your Home, OECOnline.org)