Re: How did I not know this?

SilleeMee · ‎05-22-2016

Around here water is treated like gold. It's precious enough to make everything else build around what is there or not there. So landscaping, as well as gardening, is centered around water conservation and usage. If you cement your entire yard then you're charged a fee and taxed for not allowing water to go into the ground. Imagine that.

ETA-

My neighbor just had his entire front 'yard' cemented so he could park all of his vehicles on it....his garage is not big enough. Now when it rains the water runs off into the gutter and down to the streams instead of going into the ground where it is desperately needed.

Now I see the same neighbor getting ready to pour more cement in his back yard for a huge patio...more water run-off. No wonder this area is losing ground water.

juanitalinda · ‎03-11-2010

@SilleeMee

I was kinda wondering about the surcharge on the concrete yard until I read the rest where you explain there is no place for water to be absorbed into the ground.

Makes sense.

SilleeMee · ‎05-22-2016

@juanitalinda wrote:
@SilleeMee

I was kinda wondering about the surcharge on the concrete yard until I read the rest where you explain there is no place for water to be absorbed into the ground.

Makes sense.

@juanitalinda

My city has this thing called "stormwater management" and residents here pay an additional portion of their utility bill to maintain water run-off. Residents who live downstream are experiencing flooding and some are losing land from their property due to rising waters along creeks. Stormwater management funding goes to improve drainage and also to maintain drainage infrastructure to help lessen the flooding situation. It's a complicated system but needs funding to keep it going. Neighbors like mine probably have no idea what goes on downstream. There are ways to lay cement to allow for water to go into the ground but my neighbor, or the contractor, probably not familiar with that sort of thing.