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Water on hard surfaces

Roofs, roads and yards turn rain into a flood peak. Slowing it, cleaning it, and putting it back into the ground.

Water·Restoration
  1. 01
    A vegetated swale beside a road carrying and filtering surface runoff
    Water№ 4655 min

    Stormwater Management: Slowing Water Before It Becomes a Flood

    Impermeable surfaces turn rain into a flood peak — SuDS, the treatment train, and why upstream storage beats downstream pipes.

  2. 02
    A residential driveway made of permeable pavers with grass growing in the joints, rainwater visibly soaking into the surface
    Water№ 3524 min

    Permeable Surfaces: Let Rain Soak In Where It Falls

    Replace impervious paving with surfaces that drink rain in place, recharge groundwater, and turn driveways into water harvesting assets.

  3. 03
    A planted rain garden depression capturing stormwater from a downspout
    Water№ 3822 min

    Rain Gardens: Beautiful Water Filtration

    Design a shallow planted depression that catches roof runoff, filters pollutants, recharges groundwater, and feeds pollinators.

  4. 04
    A gravel reed bed planted with Phragmites treating water beside an inlet pipe
    Water№ 1005 min

    Constructed Wetlands: Treating Water With Plants and Gravel

    Reed beds that clean wastewater using microbial films on root surfaces — how the flow types differ, and what they can and cannot handle.

  5. 05
    A driveway with a channel directing runoff into a planted rain garden alongside
    Water№ 4724 min

    Surface Catchment: Every Hard Surface Is a Water Source

    Direct runoff from driveways, paths, and patios into rain gardens, tree basins, and swales instead of the storm drain.

  6. 06
    A PVC first-flush diverter installed on a downspout with a clear inspection chamber
    Water№ 1663 min

    First-Flush Diverters: Clean Water from the Start

    How first-flush diverters work to remove dust, bird droppings, pollen, and debris from the initial roof runoff before it enters your rainwater tank.

  7. 07
    A percolation tank holding monsoon runoff so it can soak down into the aquifer
    Water№ 0185 min

    Aquifer Recharge: Putting Water Back Underground

    Managed recharge from check dams to infiltration basins, why underground storage beats surface storage, and how to avoid recharging pollution.

  8. 08
    A mature street tree in a wide planted verge shading a pavement and parked cars
    Restoration№ 5087 min

    Urban Forestry: Trees in the Hardest Place to Grow One

    Soil volume, heat islands, and species diversity — why street trees die young and what actually keeps them alive to maturity.

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