You may be lucky enough to have an outdoor space, but did you know that its greenery plays a vital role in managing your stormwater?Lawns, shrubs, plants and trees all work together to help avoid over-stressing your drains in a rainstorm. This is because their deep roots effectively mop up water when there’s a downpour. The more green space we maintain outdoors, the easier it is for the built environment to cope with rain, especially during heavy storm periods.
The challenge of urban stormwater management
Growing urbanisation is causing a challenge to drainage across the world, especially where street trees have been removed. Urban trees use their vast root systems to absorb rain, making them vital for rainwater management in cities. They can work alongside measures such as drain lining in Gloucester to provide vital urban infrastructure.
As a result, many parts of the UK are now investing in trees for their urban areas once again. This is especially the case as urban planners increasingly look for sustainable routes to urban drainage, as well as drain lining Gloucester.
Traditional surface water systems have involved transferring the rainwater away from its point of collection into nearby watercourses or soakaways. But this increases the risks of environmental damage, flooding and also pollution, as runoff water tends to include heavy metals, oils, pesticides, chemicals and other issues.
How trees can help cities
With the use of trees, the risk of stormwater runoff can be greatly reduced from the beginning.
Trees also boost the environment by absorbing carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. In addition, they help to maintain good mental well-being for urban residents and create a sense of beauty and calm in the urban space
Nor do trees require as much room as some other green systems such as vegetative swales, rain gardens or bio-filtration systems. Trees have been shown to reduce the load of rainwater nitrogen and pollution in general, and they can help to channel useful rainwater to the permeable, deeper layers of soil. So, trees are forming a vital part of drainage for town planning.