Protect Your Home From Floods With Landscaping Changes

11/14/2018 (Permalink)

Clogged drain in a Biltmore, NC home

Landscaping Changes

If you're impacted by outside flooding whenever a rain storm sweeps through your area, you may want to take a look at your landscaping. With a few changes, you may prevent soil erosion and reduce the impact of stormwater runoff.

1. Change Your Landscape

Although landscaping additions do require a bit of work and perhaps a financial investment, they can be well worth your efforts. Soil erosion can leach important nutrients from the land, leaving the area with inadequate resources and leading to situations that require the work of rain storm recovery professionals. Erosion can also impact homes in other ways:

• Leaving foundations vulnerable
• Clogging drains
• Affecting the health of gardens and crops
• Leaving behind dust rather than soil
• Transferring pesticides and sediment into municipal water systems

2. Create a Swale

A shallow depression directs the flow of rain drainage to a dry well or garden bed. For best results, line the slopes of the swale with deep-rooting plants, and line the deepest section with rocks. Make sure the swale channels water to an area that offers adequate drainage and can handle excess water during times of outside flooding.

3. Add and Maintain Rain Spouts

Always pay attention to the rain gutters lining your roof. Make sure water can flow easily to the downspout and away from the house. Consider adding a downspout diverter that directs the water away from the walls and foundation of your home during heavy rainfall. This simple step is vital to keeping moisture away from the foundation and structure of the home.

4. Add Drainage Next to Concrete Driveways

Driveways are one of the top offenders when it comes to water runoff. By adding grass, gravel, or decorative paving next to the driveway (or replacing the concrete altogether), you can mitigate much of the erosion that occurs during flooding.

These landscaping tips can reduce a lot of the erosion that results from outside flooding in Biltmore,NC, and there are many green solutions that can increase your efforts. Look into rain gardens, the use of mushrooms, green roofs, and mulching for more ideas.