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48 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, January 27, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 21, 2004 Craig Harper came up with his own flood control idea at his home on Woodlawn Drive in Medford: a small �creek� that diverts storm water to a pond in his back yard. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Residential runoff can be reduced By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune The first winter Craig Harper spent in his Woodlawn Drive home in east Medford, water from regular rainstorms would zip down his sloped driveway and into his garage with alarming regularity. "I’m all for storm-water retention," says Harper, the water resources program manager for the Rogue Valley Council of Governments. "Just not in my garage." So he improved the shoddy drainage system in front of the garage door, diverting the water down a creek-like swale and into what has become a backyard pond. Now, the water seeps into the east Medford clay as best it can, slowing its eventual path to the spot where all urban runoff from Ashland to Central Point eventually goes — into Bear Creek. Harper’s backyard pond is one example of how residents can help reduce the Rogue Valley’s pesky urban flooding woes one curbless residential street at a time. Advertisement Finding more ways for water to seep into the ground instead of rushing off roofs, down streets and through storm drains into Bear Creek helps reduce the flash flooding that can plague urban creekside residences during even moderate rainstorms. The problem is that traditional storm-drain systems are designed to move water off the streets, through the pipes and into the creeks as quickly as possible. Putting all that water into the creek at the same time often creates an intense, albeit brief, spike in water that can cause minor flooding. Disconnected downspouts that splash water onto lawns, thinner streets that allow water to spill onto grass and driveways with grass strips down the middle all represent ways of creating "pervious" spots for seeping water. "Not every street needs curbs and gutters," Harper says. "Not every driveway has to be paved with concrete for 2,000 feet. "We’re not talking about anything fancy here," he says. Steven Miller, however, is. The Medford architect plans to be the first Medford resident to use "pervious cement," a concrete-like surface that does not pose as a barrier to water. "It’s like Rice Krispy concrete," Miller says. "The water goes right through." Miller plans to pave a 100-foot section of an alley off Pearl Street this winter. He’s also trying to organize his neighbors to create an improvement district that would pave the entire alley. It’s not just individuals who are tweaking their property to allow more water seepage. Many new developments are reducing curbs or adding low spots in their landscape architecture to slow the flow of water into storm drains. The RVCOG has a "Stormwater Quick Response" program that helps developers better manage their storm water. Harper says little projects like his backyard creek and pond represent small but potentially incremental changes urban residents can make to trim a few drops off future flare-ups of Bear Creek. "We did this to prevent property damage for us," Harper says. "Plus, it’s kind of cool." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers