Conquering Water Woes

Area experts offer solutions to erosion and irrigation problems.

Written by Martha Coffey

Life sustaining, refreshing and soothing, water is an essential element. But too much in the landscape creates a soggy swamp‹too little and nothing lives. Like people, no yard is perfect. Mother Nature often needs a little nudge. Fortunately, local landscape professionals have the expertise and products to combat the twin dilemmas of erosion and drought.

Too Much of a Good Thing

Given the high price of real estate, it’s foolhardy to let even an ounce of soil escape your property boundaries. A properly planted landscape is the best protection against erosion, a serious problem that can significantly impact water quality.

Susan Day, a research associate in Consumer Horticulture at Virginia Tech, explains that sediment deposited by storm runoff is a major source of water pollution. She says that, because the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area is in a watershed, responsible homeowners must take steps to reduce soil erosion on their property.

Photo by Michael G. Stewart, courtesy of R.T. MacKenzie Inc.

Water delivery systems control the timing and quality
of moisture to the landscape.

In addition to adversely affecting water quality, erosion in the home landscape creates unsightly bare areas and deposits mud and dust on walkways and driveways that inevitably gets tracked into the house. Soil splashed on windows or outside walls, gullies or sodden low spots in the yard, and exposed tree roots are sure signs that you’ve got an erosion problem.

Landscaping expert Susan Helander of AG&E Landscape Services in Springfield, Va., has seen an escalation in construction-induced erosion during the last fifteen years. To reduce erosion, you need to protect the soil surface from rain. She recommends planting a combination of grass, groundcovers, shrubbery, and trees to hold soil in place and protect soil from erosion. See the box for a list of suggested plants.

Mulching for Soil Retention

Another effective way for homeowners to combat soil erosion is to mulch around trees, shrubbery, and groundcovers. According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, mulching enriches and protects soil, helping to provide a better growing environment. It keeps soil from becoming compacted by heavy rains and helps to maintain a more even soil temperature. It also conserves moisture and prevents weed growth.

Mulch is available in two forms, organic and inorganic. Organic mulch includes materials such as grass clippings, straw, and bark chips; inorganic mulch consists of stones, brick chips, and plastic.

Photo courtesy of Drainage and Erosion Solutions LLC.

The best erosion control between properties combines beauty
with funcionality

Rescuing a Drowning Yard

Sometimes all of the abovementioned erosion control measures fall short of solving the problem of soggy soil. And that’s when homeowners need the professional help of firms such as Soil and Structure Consulting and Drainage and Erosion Solutions. Owner of both of these companies Ken Fraine and his team of engineers in Annandale, Va., often first perform a drainage and erosion analysis, complete with a soil mapping. They then tailor a customized solution, which may include structural remediation, foundation wall waterproofing, the installation of wall drains and sump pumps, or even complete re-grading of the site.

Got Gutters?

Help with too much water may also come in the form of a new gutter system. Ann Pauly McGavin of Gutterman Services Inc., of Sterling, Virginia, reports that the key to moving water away from a building is gutters installed at the proper slope with oversized downspouts. She says, “K-Guard gutters are uniquely crafted to provide leaf-free, seamless, covered channels for carrying water away.” Her brother Chris Pauly adds that “today’s K-Guard gutters with a baked-on enamel finish which never needs paint are just part of a system that may also include rain diverters, downspouts, splash blocks, and underground drains.” A properly installed and maintained gutter system prevents many water problems.

Photo courtesy of Affordable Lawn Sprinklers and Lighting

In-ground sprinklers deliver water only when and where you need it,
conserving a precious natural resource.

In Times of Drought

If, instead of too much water, you are facing a water shortage, an in-ground sprinkler system is an affordable alternative to spotty and inconvenient sprinklings with equipment purchased at your local garden shop. For a reasonable investment, R.T. MacKenzie guarantees customers an installed sprinkler system that is easily programmed with a sensor that shuts water off during a rainfall. In fact, Reed Libby of Affordable Lawn Sprinklers in Fairfax, Va., says, “A system can be tailored to take into account the grade of your landscape, the soil composition, as well as the amount of sun/shade your property receives.” An effective in-ground sprinkler system will reward you with a lush lawn and plantings and more time to enjoy them.

Whether your problem is too little or too much water, affordable, expert solutions are as close as these pages. Contact the professionals to convert your backyard bayou into a verdant driving range.

Erosion-fighting plants

Here are the recommendations of Susan Helander of AG&E Landscape Services:

Shrubs

Clethra alnifolia (Summersweet)

Cornus sericea (Red or yellow twig dogwood)

Hamamelis vernalis (Vernal witchhazel)

Ilex glabra (Inkberry)

Itea virginica (Sweetspire)

Viburnum (Arrowwood or Cranberrybush)

Trees

Amelanchier canadensis (Serviceberry)

Betula nigra (River birch)

Magnolia virginiana (Sweetbay magnolia)

Nyssa sylvatica (Black gum)

Taxodium distichum (Baldcypress)

Ready reference

Affordable Lawn Sprinklers and Lighting

703-815-8700

AG&E Landscape Services

agelandscape.com 703 239-0040

Drainage and Erosion Solutions LLC

drainageanderosion.com 703-391-0040

Gutterman Services Inc.

guttermanservices.com 703-742-0835

Leafaway Gutter Protection System

leafaway-va.com 888-391-2550

R.T. MacKenzie Inc.

rtmackenzie.com 301-384-6287

Soil and Structure Consulting Inc.

soilandstructure.com 703-391-8911

The Gutter Shutter Company

vaguttershutter.com
mdguttershutter.com 866-511-3279