Stream Smart House Calls helps residents manage stormwater

Three suburban Philadelphia homeowners in the Darby Creek Watershed all share a common concern: how to manage water on their property and reduce stormwater pollution in local waterways. Julia Mann, Marilou Regan and Julia Sadtler all participated in the grant-funded Stream Smart Stormwater House Calls program due to water runoff concerns on their properties and hope other homeowners do the same.

How Stream Smart works

Stream Smart Stormwater House Calls, a collaborative initiative offered in four watersheds located in the Philadelphia suburbs, was introduced to improve stormwater management on private properties in densely urbanized watersheds where most of the land is occupied by homes.

Through property audits conducted by local watershed representatives, the Stream Smart program identifies changes that homeowners can make to reduce the amount of stormwater runoff that leaves their properties. Representatives from Lower Merion Conservancy, Darby Creek Valley Association, Pennsylvania Resources Council, and the Eastern Delaware County Stormwater Collaborative conduct the audits. A few weeks after the audit, homeowners receive a detailed written report of the recommended changes they can make.

In addition to Darby Creek, Stream Smart homeowner assessments are also delivered by watershed groups in the Pennypack, Tookany/Tacony-Frankford and Wissahickon Watersheds. Each organization acquired grant money to subsidize the installation of stormwater best management practices (BMPs) such as rain barrels, flow through planters, rain gardens and bioswales. The funding is used to purchase supplies and materials and to hire contractors to install the BMPs. Volunteers are also deployed to help with the digging and planting. Homeowners pay a portion of project implementation costs and are responsible for long-term maintenance.

The problem with stormwater runoff

Stormwater runoff is any water that travels across property rather than seeping into the ground. It can pick up harmful chemicals like pesticides and fertilizers, motor oil from cars, pet waste, and other toxic substances that then can runoff into local creeks and into waterways used for drinking water.

Sadtler, a resident of Delaware County, was concerned about the excess amount of water collecting on her property and its potential impact on others. She knew that a proposed initiative calling for tree removal nearby would only exacerbate it.

Regan, a resident of Delaware County, is also part of the Darby Creek Watershed. In fact, her property line rests along the creek. This means that water from the neighborhood, not just her yard, travels through her property to get to the creek. She also experienced an increase in stormwater runoff due to construction in the region and some tree removal.

“I learned that the slightest movement in your community can affect your property,” said Regan.

For instance, trees can absorb thousands of gallons of water a year from the soil and release it into the air as oxygen. Even if one or two trees in the neighborhood are removed, the water needs somewhere to go.

Similar to Regan, Mann witnessed an increase in water on her Delaware County property, which led to soggy areas in her yard and a flooded basement. Darby Creek has a lot of flooding as well as a mosquito problem in many yards due to standing water.

Stream Smart representatives offer solutions

Luckily for all three homeowners, Stream Smart assessments provided them much needed answers to their stormwater dilemmas.

During the audits, which typically take between 30 and 60 minutes, depending on how much property there is to assess, representatives analyzed where the water was coming onto their properties and where it was going, and also looked at the downspouts, foundations and grading. Each homeowner then received customized recommendations based on their unique situations.

“We talked about the types of planting I would be interested in that are native and appropriate for the area to help with water runoff,” said Sadtler.

From rethinking landscaping practices to creating a rain garden or utilizing rain barrels, Stream Smart representatives offer numerous solutions to address stormwater concerns. The audit and assessment are free and the participants decide what measures they would like to implement on their properties with the help of contractors and/or volunteers.

“I do a lot of gardening and landscaping on my property, and they gave me specific advice and ideas that I never thought of before,” said Mann.

Fall is the best time to plant and when many of the first Stream Smart House Call projects took place. Mann installed a rain barrel that helped reduce the amount of water in her basement after a rainstorm and enables her to use the collected water to water her roses. She plans to add a downspout to direct water to a drier section of her yard that has a tree canopy and shade garden. She will also add a bog garden on the wetter portion of her property, which will be a large project to complete.

“The program taught me how to help the water percolate through the soil rather than divert it to the street,” said Mann.

Sadtler is gradually adding berms, mounds of dirt intended to redirect the water on her property, and has also planted the bay leaf magnolia and sycamore trees that the program provided. Meanwhile, Regan added grading and changed the slope of her yard to help manage the water. The work both Sadtler and Regan completed in their yards has proven successful in managing the water.

“I can’t stress enough how intelligent and informed they were,” said Regan, speaking about the Darby Creek Valley Association representatives. “They offered solutions that work.”

Stream Smart helps close the education gap

While the program is successful for participants, there is an education gap when it comes to the public’s knowledge on stormwater pollution.

“I think that many homeowners are not aware of what happens to stormwater and the impact it has on your own property and also the properties around you,” said Sadtler.

The assessment provides watershed residents with tools to control stormwater and knowledge on the pollution that runoff can pick up and carry directly into streams.

“I am now more of an advocate of clean water as a result of the program,” said Regan. “It really increased my awareness of stormwater.”

The homeowners appreciated the excellent information they received from the Stream Smart program and are glad there is a program like this available to them.

Likewise, the organizations spearheading Stream Smart are happy to have the ear of concerned homeowners.

"The Darby Creek Valley Association is dedicated to protecting and enhancing the Darby Creek Watershed and its resources,” said Executive Director Susan Miller. “The Stream Smart Stormwater House Calls program is a great way for us to assist homeowners in protecting their local creeks from pollution and positively impact the community.”

Stream Smart Stormwater House Calls improves water quality in the following watersheds: Darby Creek, Wissahickon, Pennypack and Tookany/Tacony-Frankford.

Visit streamsmarthousecalls.org or call 1-888-683-9992 to apply for an audit today.