Managing water on your property can be an ongoing challenge. Pennsylvania is a water rich state with over 85,000 miles of streams and rivers.
You may have a stream on or bordering your property. Watch for another article for tips to manage and protect streams. McKean County receives, on average, over 42 inches of rain per year. Recently, heavy rainfalls from storms have occurred in a short time span, increasing the potential for flooding and property damage from stormwater. Stormwater runoff is a huge contributor to water pollution in Pennsylvania. As water runs across developed surfaces it picks up a wide variety of contaminants, like oil, salt, or chemicals.
To handle water and minimize its damage, let’s step back and consider the water cycle both with and without human interference. Natural systems with no human infrastructure (buildings, roads, parking lots, lawns) are very efficient in absorbing and distributing excess water. Streams and rivers all have a natural floodplain. The purpose of a floodplain is to allow water that overtops rivers and streams to spread out, slow down, and soak back into the ground (or infiltrate). In a natural, undisturbed forest there is little or no damage to the stream, plants, or trees in the floodplain. When we add in human use to landscapes, this equation quickly changes. Buildings and roads within or near the floodplain are subject to severe damage when the water spreads naturally into these areas. Without trees, which absorb significant amounts of water daily, more water quickly runs off the land and finds the path of least resistance. This could be back to the stream, or down a road, or downhill to whatever is below. Water is a force to be reckoned with and even small streams receiving large amount of water can cause large amounts of damage.
The most important way to keep water under control is to provide places for infiltration, where it can naturally soak back into the ground without causing damage. Various practices can be used for this purpose, such as rain gardens in lawns, or storm basins near developed areas. Developed surfaces make it hard for rainwater to soak into the ground.
One of the best helpers to absorb water are trees and plants. Consider the approximate number of inches of rainfall each of the following can absorb in one hour: Forest :17 inches; Old Logging Road : 6-7 inches; Lawn: 1inch or less; Pavement: 0 inches. When we consider a heavy thunderstorm can produce 2-3 inches per hour of rain, the math shows that excess water from lawns and pavement can accumulate quickly and moves over the land as storm or surface water.
Water does not follow property boundaries. Be a good neighbor and be considerate of water movement on and from your property. Activities on your property can adversely affect your neighbors, potentially causing a dispute. Ask yourself how does water enter and exit my property? Are there areas of concentrated flow currently causing damage to your property or adjacent neighboring property? If so, flows can be re-directed to vegetated areas for infiltration.
Concentrating a flow of water always increases its strength and potentially damaging force. Think twice or consult a professional before installing ditches or pipes to move water. Instead consider using a vegetated area for absorption, such as a basin, meadow, or swale. Stormwater is regulated by local municipalities.
Want to learn more? Penn State Extension has a wide variety of resources including webinars, articles, and videos on the Water Resources website. Their new “Roadside Guide to Clean Water” series explains many practices to manage water.
Have questions or need more information? Call the McKean County Conservation District at 814-887-4001.
