Urban Drool

Urban drool is the water that runs off improperly watered lawns, carrying fertilizers, pesticides, and valuable nutrients to ground water, local streams and the ocean, causing potentially devastating bacterial and algae blooms and chemical pollution.

Urban drool doesn’t only occur on sidewalks, either.

Every hard surface, be it a driveway, home foundation, patio, or parking lot, creates the opportunity for urban drool and stormwater runoff problems.

There are several ways to reduce the problems associated with urban drool.

Urban drool

When watering your lawn, think of how a dry sponge absorbs less water than a damp one. Urban drool can be prevented by watering with hourly pulses of short durations that give the soil enough time to absorb the water. As the soil becomes moist, it can hold on to more water

Concrete garden path

The same path with wood chips

Take a look at other hard surfaces, such as driveways, walkways, and patios. Instead of impermeable concrete, consider permeable pavers, wood chip paths, and growing strips. These breathable materials allow water to be absorbed into the soil, filtering sediments and pollutants, and allowing the water to be stored for later use by plants, rather than creating flooding, pooling, and runoff problems. These more porous surfaces also allow the soil and plant roots to breath.

If you have an area of your landscape that regularly receives excess water, you may want to consider installing a rain garden to reduce urban drool and ground water pollution.

If you see urban drool occurring at a local park or business, take a moment to reach out and let them know. They may not be aware of the problem.