Water Conservation

Thoughtfully managing water can not only help conserve this valuable natural resource but can also help you save money.

Water supports entire ecosystems and sustains our lives. It’s required for producing food, clothing, and electronics; transporting waste; and supporting the natural environment. The effects of climate change vary regionally, but sustainable water management and low-impact development strategies can provide a wide range of benefits.

Just a few benefits of water conservation include:

• Reducing runoff and lessening the amount of water that contributes to flooding
• Reducing the overall cost of landscape irrigation
• Less reliance on costly potable water for irrigation (when shifting to other sources)

The role of water in a sustainable landscape

Water doesn’t just keep us hydrated and help plants grow. Water features can also provide a calming, pleasant space for relaxation, stress reduction, and reflection.

Water also serves a critical role in many local community resources, from fighting fires to maintaining local parks to filling municipal swimming pools. Unfortunately, many communities across the country face challenges regarding the supply and availability of water for these services.

Using water wisely and efficiently – as well as planning creative and restorative uses for water in the landscape – will address the importance of restoring and maintaining natural water systems and will create stronger mental and physical connections between people, water, and local climate.

Learning more about water runoff can help people better understand our water systems.

Driveways covered with materials such as crushed seashells or locally sourced gravel, for example, are far more sustainable than those topped with coal tar sealants.

Landscape practices that contribute to water pollution

In a natural landscape, soil and vegetation hold onto and work to clean rain and stormwater. In developed areas, however, much of the land has been paved over, and the soil itself is often compacted and impervious. Rainfall flows from our roofs into gutters and downspouts, over compacted lawns and driveways, onto roads, and down storm drains — picking up pollutants all along the way.

Researchers have found runoff from developed land to be the leading cause of water pollution in urban areas. In many older cities, stormwater can overwhelm sanitary sewers, sending raw sewage as well as runoff into nearby waterways.

Common sources of stormwater pollution

Fertilizers, Herbicides, and Insecticides

Excess nutrients from overuse of fertilizer can cause algal blooms when fertilizer runs off as part of stormwater. When algae die and decompose, they reduce oxygen levels, making it hard for fish and other aquatic life to survive.

Insecticides and herbicides present in stormwater from runoff can poison aquatic life, while land animals and people can become sick from eating contaminated fish and shellfish or drinking pesticide-contaminated water.

The risk of these pollutants can be reduced by minimizing use of fertilizers and pesticides. Excess fertilizer spread on driveways, sidewalks, streets or other impervious surfaces should be collected and properly disposed of before it has an opportunity to pollute stormwater.

Animal Waste

Feces contains bacteria and other matter that pollutes our waterways and can harm human health.

Animal waste should be removed from vegetative areas surrounding waterways or other areas where it may contaminate stormwater runoff.

Rock Salt

Rock salt can leach into soil, changing its chemical composition. It is harmful to sensitive plants and can poison fish and aquatic organisms after flowing into local waterways as part of stormwater runoff. Salt is highly corrosive to paved surfaces, buildings and metal. Alternatives to rock salt include:

• Materials that increase traction, such as kitty litter and sand.
• Rock salt substitutes such as those made with beet juice extracts, a byproduct of beet sugar production that would normally be disposed of as waste, works to melt ice.
• Magnesium chloride is safer to use near plants than rock salt (but less effective in very cold conditions).

Fluids from Automobiles

Automobiles deposit pollutants such as oil and gas, as well as particles from brake linings, tires, and engines onto paved surfaces. These pollutants are washed off by rainfall and transported into storm sewers, often ending up in local waterways. Landscapes that capture and reuse stormwater minimize the spread of pollutants and provide a valuable water source to the garden.

Sediment

Sediment from improperly managed landscapes can cloud waterways and carry pollutants. Landscapes can minimize sediment pollution by preventing erosion and capturing stormwater and sediments on-site.

Building Materials

Materials such as copper and zinc found in roofing and gutters, along with galvanized materials and treated lumber, can contaminate stormwater. When replacing roofs, homeowners should consider materials such as wood or slate that typically release fewer pollutants. Green roofs are also an attractive option for buildings that can support the additional weight.

Coal Tar Sealants

Coal tar sealants, or blacktop, used on roads and driveways, pollute many urban lakes. This shiny black coating contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are toxic to aquatic life. Some may even cause cancer.

Blacktop is also impermeable, preventing water from soaking into the ground.

Sustainable landscapes use safer materials like crushed seashells, a waste byproduct, or locally sourced gravel.

Freshwater Shortages

Freshwater supports our environment and sustains our lives. It’s essential to human survival, our livelihoods, and almost every form of economic production.

Unfortunately, drought and water scarcity have become increasingly common in many parts of the world, including the western United States, which has experienced a historic megadrought for more than two decades.

By 2050, three out of four people worldwide could face drought impacts, according to the United Nations.

Considering these challenges, even seemingly small problems like a leaking faucet or spigot should be taken seriously and repaired.

Unsustainable vs. Sustainable Landscapes: How They Compare

Unsustainable Landscape

• Treats stormwater as a waste product that is quickly removed from the site, contributing to water pollution.
• Most irrigation systems use municipal drinking water.

Sustainable Landscape

• Manages stormwater on site. Uses stormwater as a resource to sustain the landscape.
• Minimizes the use of potable water. Supplements water in the landscape with on-site alternatives such as harvested rainwater, stormwater, and/or air conditioner condensate.

Learn more about Water-Thrifty Sustainable Landscapes.