Generally when it rains the water runs off the house and yards into the gutter and into pipes or storm drains which feed it into the river, stream or ocean. This conventional approach is problematic in that many of the countries regions are in severe drought. As we expand our population base we will see issues where the growth and water usage far exceed the regional annual rainfalls. This will indeed over tax the water supplies and cause issues with exacerbated droughts and lengthy recoveries. Eventually if kept unchecked we will be in perennial drought in most of our nation.

In Waukesha, Wisconsin a company named Bielinshi Homes has a more conservative approach. The rain water or snow melt running off the home is send into the soil through the surrounding shrubbery and sinks into the ground water table. Using a local swale, prairie or wetland type scenario the water is recaptured and reused as ground water filtered by the soil and taken back out by use of wells. Also of importance in the use of bioswales is that it is cheaper to install than pipes or storm drains with a massive rain gutter system. Landscape maintenance is also reduced to a large degree and the water is retained in the region rather than starting its long journey to the sea.

Bielinski Homes is heavily involved in this new scheme and has over 70% of the master builders developments using this method now. Others in the new housing development business are liking what they see and are following suit. Good water retention policies will be increasingly important in the future as the demand for water continues to climb due to increased population bases. Think on this.