Here comes the rain again: Mike Holmes on "finding alternatives to storm sewers"
In a recent column published in the Vancouver Sun newspaper, Mike Holmes writes that “Stormwater is rainfall and melted snow that comes off roofs and driveways and roads and needs to go somewhere. It should seep back into the ground on lawns, gardens and green spaces.”
“The problem,” he explains, “is, that as we continue to develop areas for us to live, we are covering the earth — that great big sponge — with houses, pavement, sidewalks, parking lots and shopping malls. A huge percentage of the ground in developed areas is now non-permeable. This means rainwater can’t seep down.”
Wind Walk
In his column, Mike Holmes provides examples that illustrate what individual homeowners can do to help take the pressure off municipal storm sewers. He also writes about what can be done at the community scale, in particular what he is doing at Wind Walk in Alberta — the first Holmes Community.
“The goal of Wind Walk is to maintain the amount of water in the community at pre-development levels,” writes Mike Holmes. To learn more about Wind Walk, click on this link to here comes the rain again.
Mike Holmes has partnered with a group of individuals and organizations that share his vision in order to Plan it Right and Make it RightTM in the MD Foothills and Town of Okotoks’ Inter-Municipal Planning Area.
Posted September 2009