Embracing the Bog

After experiencing record floods earlier this year, people in South Carolina are understandably interested in what can be done to avoid a similar situation in the future. Of course, several things contributed to the flooding situation in October, and there is no single remedy or talisman to prevent it from happening again. (Look for an article in an upcoming issue of Stormwater on the floods and lessons learned.)

After experiencing record floods earlier this year, people in South Carolina are understandably interested in what can be done to avoid a similar situation in the future. Of course, several things contributed to the flooding situation in October, and there is no single remedy or talisman to prevent it from happening again. (Look for an article in an upcoming issue of Stormwater on the floods and lessons learned.) [text_ad] Green infrastructure, while it’s an excellent way to reduce the overall volume of runoff in the long term, is generally not considered a solution—at least not all by itself—for flooding during intense storms. And yet, since the Charleston-area floods have focused people’s attention on the issue of stormwater in general, it turns out to be a great time to teach them about the benefits of green infrastructure—particularly rain gardens—and what it can do to lessen minor flood problems and standing water. A few organizations are doing just that, and more importantly, teaching people how to do create such features themselves. Last week, Clemson University’s Extension program launched a website with detailed information on rain gardens—where to put them, how to install and maintain them, lists of plants suitable for the South Carolina climate, and links to brief instructional videos. The information is fairly detailed but easy to understand; three of the videos, for example, show how to determine the soil type in your backyard using simple tools almost everyone has at home. A later video shows how to amend various types of soils. This article in the Charleston newspaper The Post and Courier describes the benefits of rain gardens and includes step-by-step instructions for creating one. The article explains the function of a rain garden and the types of plants (those that like “wet feet”) that will thrive in it, and dispels some misconceptions—for example, a properly designed rain garden drains quickly enough that it won’t become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. As a stormwater official with Charleston County explains in the article, “Look at it like this: This [rain garden] takes 100 gallons out of the system, but if you have thousands of these, then you’re talking a difference. One won’t make a huge impact but thousands of them will.” Are there resources available in your area for people who want to install features like rain gardens or rain barrels on their property? If you’ve put together materials like this for the public, how difficult did you find it to strike the right balance—detailed enough to help homeowners create useful features without being unnecessarily technical? StormCon Call for Papers Is Open StormCon, the only North American event dedicated exclusively to stormwater and surface-water professionals, is seeking abstracts for presentation at StormCon 2016. The deadline for submitting abstracts is Wednesday, December 9. The conference will be held in Indianapolis, IN, August 22–25, 2016. We are looking for abstracts in the following conference tracks:

• BMP Case Studies • Green Infrastructure • Stormwater Program Management • Advanced Research Topics • Water-Quality Monitoring • Industrial Stormwater Management • Stormwater Management for Solid Waste Facilities

For more information, including the complete call for papers and an online form for submitting your abstract, visit www.StormCon.com.