Be a Runoff Ranger!
Observe and photograph your yard when it rains -- learn where water goes, so you can make a wise choice about which project might work best for your property.
Storm water
Rain, snow, and ice...here in Vermont, we see it all. Water soaks into the soil, keeping our lawns green and our wells filled. This ground water also feeds streams and rivers as it migrates through the soil, slowed and filtered by vegetation -- unless something gets in its way. Roads, roofs, driveways, and parking lots speed water up and move "runoff" water away from those green spaces where it can slow down, spread out, and soak in. We can make changes in the way we perceive storm water, saving it or helping it to get where it's trying to go -- into the ground.
In June of 2016, BRAT volunteers created an "infiltration area" (or rain garden) on a private homeowner's front lawn. The goal was to help stormwater slow own, spread out, and soak in...here's what that process looked like, and what difference a year made! This project was successful thanks to grants from the New England Grassroots Environmental Foundation and from the Vermont Community Foundation.
