Landscape Design & Water Quality

Create an attractive landscape that reduces the need for pesticides and fertilizers, avoids runoff, and conserves water. An environmentally friendly landscape includes porous materials for walkways and other unplanted areas, appropriate plant choices, proper site preparation, and “smart” irrigation equipment.

Install porous surfaces in unplanted areas.

• Use flagstone, interlocking pavers, or pervious concrete on walkways and patios instead of impermeable surfaces such as concrete and asphalt.
• Interlocking pavers for driveways or an interceptor drain at the bottom of the driveway collect runoff and divert water into your landscape.
• Add gravel, organic mulches, or other materials that allow water to soak into the ground in unplanted areas.

Improve water absorption in planted areas.

• Add organic matter, such as compost, and aerate regularly to reduce compaction.
• Use perforated drainage lines to allow water to filter into surrounding soils.
• Install gravel sumps or other percolation areas to keep water from collecting in unwanted areas.

Choose appropriate plants.

• Plant water-efficient plants, including many native species, to reduce irrigation. Some native plants require little to no fertilizer or pest management.
• Use turfgrasses and pest-resistant plants best adapted to the local climate.
• Install dense plantings with fibrous root systems along landscape edges to reduce runoff and soil erosion.

Create landscape features to collect runoff water.

• Install long, shallow, grassy depressions, known as swales, to hold large amounts of runoff from driveways, streets, or parking lots.
• Create rain gardens, low-lying areas in the garden that provide temporary storage for heavy runoff and allow sediment, water, and garden chemicals to soak into the ground.
• Plant species that can survive both wet and drier conditions.
• Include trees to catch rainfall.
• Use rain barrels to collect and store runoff from rooftops for irrigating plants.
• Add terrace walls or other similar features.

Install and properly operate irrigation systems and equipment.

• Check your irrigation system and make adjustments as needed. Replace old and mismatched sprinklers with low-flow rotor heads.
• Consider the addition of a “smart” irrigation controller. These are designed to reduce excess irrigation by replacing only the amount of water lost through plant use and evaporation.
• Install drip systems or soaker hoses for trees, shrubs, and some ground covers.