Creekkeeper Guidelines for Homeowners

How you can do your part to improve water quality and preserve local creeks.

by Peavine Watershed Alliance and
Robert Reed (Preston & Assoc. Designs)
in conjunction with
Rock Creek Watershed Alliance and
Nancy / Peachtree Creeks Technical Advisory Committee

Preliminary Draft 12-8-99

[See also Ezzard, Martha. A lesson in water use: from the goverrnor's mansion to your home. Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Sunday, August 20, 2000. D-1, 12.]

• Reducing water runoff from hard surfaces such as driveways and roofs
• Slowing soil erosion and reducing sediment in runoff
• Reducing pollution from yard and house chemicals or driveway oil residues
• Controlling flooding by slowing rainwater flow off property

You as a homeowner or renter can work toward meeting Creekkeeper Guidelines on your property and thereby contribute to a healthier and safer environment for us all. The suggestions listed here will help improve our drinking water quality, improve our groundwater and aquifer levels, and contribute to healthier streams with more diverse wildlife communities. As runoff water is more carefully managed by homeowners, flooding is reduced, thereby better protecting our property. In addition, following these Creekkeeper guidelines will also reduce the scouring effects of heavy rains on stream banks and wildlife habitats. All of these benefits improve the economic viability and livability of our region and make our streams safer places for children to play.

Every homeowner and renter can help! Many small, seemingly insignificant actions add up to the major stream pollution and erosion we now face. We must all do our part to help Atlanta return its creeks and rivers to "fishable, swimmable" standards.

Most homes are designed to help rainwater run off the property and into the street (or a neighbor’s yard) as quickly as possible, thus contributing to the damaging effects of storm surges in our creeks. Creekkeeper Homes and yards are designed to increase water infiltration into the ground by slowing and reducing discharges into streams. Also, they strain the pollutants from chemically-treated landscapes and from runoff from paved areas. Landscape buffers (grass, shrubs, and other plantings) help clean the water before it enters the creek. The ideal homesite channels all water into the ground, by various means, and surrounds all grassy areas with shrubs and ground cover on the downhill side.

Runoff water comes from three places -- paved areas, landscaped areas, and roof areas -- and we will address remedies in these three sections.

The ideal Creekkeeper Home reduces the harm of paved areas by channeling all runoff onto areas where it can be absorbed. Suggestions to increase the amount of managed runoff:

1. Reduce the paved surface of driveway, by adding a grass median (between two tire drive strips).

2. Replace hard surfaces with permeable pavings, such as paver stones, especially in areas not often used.

3. Improve driveway location to reduce water runoff speed and to filter rainwater through vegetation before it goes into street or sewer.

4. Raise or lower curb configuration to slow or divert runoff to the street.

5. Use porous concrete to increase water infiltration.

II. Landscaped Areas

Landscaping is important to the quality of nearby creeks because it can slow runoff and increase water infiltration, and it can promote diversity of plant and animal species, to restore the health of the local ecological system. Creekkeeper Homes also reduce the need for irrigation water in dry weather and reduce the impact of yard chemicals on water quality. Suggestions:

1. Reduce turf area and replace with a variety of native plant life. Layers of vegetation are best: canopy trees, understory trees, shrubs, and flowers/grasses/herbs.

2. Surround turf areas with buffer zones of shrubs and groundcovers, to slow water runoff and to retain chemicals.

3. Add drought-resistant native plants (xeriscaping) to reduce summer water use.

4. Use drip irrigation or soaker hoses for summer watering; use mulch wherever possible.

5. Use appropriate yard chemicals carefully (following instructions closely; do not spread chemicals onto pavement) or use organic alternatives to reduce creek contamination.

6. Enhance native wildlife habitat to support species diversity, such as food-producing grasses, bushes, trees, and shrubs for wildlife homes.

7. Consider adding a "rain garden," a backyard depression filled with permeable soils and mulch and planted with water tolerant species. Rain gardens hold excess runoff water and provide some water filtration at the same time. [Water tolerant species include black willow, river birch, red maple and native grasses.]

8. Connect property to other nearby greenspaces to enhance wildlife corridors.

A variety of techniques can channel runoff from roofs to infiltration areas. For those houses with basement leakage problems, creative ways to pipe water away from the housesite may be necessary. The ideal home manages all runoff. Suggestions:

1. Divert roof downspout flow by replacing open-ended downspouts with some other system, such as in-ground perforated corrugated piping.

2. Replace conventional gutters with infiltration trench (a gravel-lined trench around the house that receives roof runoff and replaces gutters and downspouts).

3. Install cisterns or dry wells, to catch and allow slower filtration of stormwater (usually installed on downhill side of home). Homeowners may want to consult with the agricultural extension service for advice about non-chemical mosquito control.

IV. Creek Management and Support (for sites bordering creeks)

Creekkeeper Homes that border creeks are especially fortunate in the opportunities afforded to safeguard water quality, enhance wildlife habitat, and reduce erosion. Suggestions:

1. The most important action for a Creekkeeper Home is to plant (or maintain) native vegetation for at least 25 feet from edge of creekbank to create a stream buffer. The ideal planting structure includes three zones--an unmanaged tree zone, a shrubby ground cover zone, and a water-logged soil zone. If possible, widen the buffer beyond 25 feet.

2. Remove any impervious surface lining or paving in the creek. Such concrete or paved surfaces speed up water flow and do not allow creekbottom habitat necessary for a healthy ecosystem.

3. For intermittent creeks, owners should work toward creating vegetative buffers, removal of impervious surfaces, and naturalistic streambed appearance. Goals include slower water speed, reduced erosion, and increased water infiltration, when creeks are flowing.

4. Build a retention pond to catch water coming off the property before it joins the creek. Such a pond can be quite small and should have a naturalistic look, using native plants. Even a small dam across a drainage area can be helpful to slow runoff.

5. Build a small waterfall (aeration cascade) to increase oxygen content in the creek.

6. Build a debris filter across a runoff area or at the edge of a pond. The filter can be a flat shelf with vertical rocks to catch debris.

7. Construct or preserve wetlands, with appropriate native species, soil conditions, and flow control.

8. Maintain a biological/chemical monitoring site for local water quality testing.

1. Grant a conservation easement across your property (such easements can prevent environmental damage by prohibiting certain kinds of property development and are usually granted to a conservation agency).

2. Use household grey water (where legally permitted) by diverting washing machine outlet or dishwasher water to yard use.

3. Maintain membership in your local watershed alliance or create a new alliance in your area.

4. Work with neighborhood associations, religious institutions, or business councils to development a watershed stewardship committee.

Another important way to improve water quality is to reduce the pollutants your household uses and discharges into the water supply. Here are some alternatives to hazardous household chemicals (from "Turning the Tide," see Bibliography at end)

• To do our part to preserve and maintain the health of our streams
• To enhance the value of property
• To save home maintenance costs, in both time and money
• To enhance visual beauty of the neighborhood
• To share community stewardship with our children and neighbors
• In some localities, fees for Stormwater Utilities may be reduced by meeting Creekkeeper certification

The primary way to earn Creekkeeper status is to "manage" the runoff from your property -- that is, to reduce the direct flow to the street, sewer, or your neighbor’s yard, using the various methods described above. To calculate if you qualify, do the following calculation:

Begin by calculating the square footage of your total lot. You can either look up the figure from plat map or survey from your home purchase or actually measure your lot. [Tip: an acre equals 43,560 square feet, so a quarter acre lot is 10,890 square feet.]

Your total square footage: ________________ (Line 5, below)

Calculate the square footage of surface taken up by all paved areas -- patios, driveways, and sidewalks. Estimate what proportion of this runoff is "managed." Put this figure in Line 1, below.

How big is your house?

Calculate the square footage of your house (roof surface). Estimate what proportion of this runoff is managed, and enter this figure in Line 3, below. (Don’t forget the garage).

Now, add together the total of your paved areas and your roof areas and subtract this total from line 5. This should give you the total of your landscaped area. Estimate how much of this landscape square footage is "managed"

Now, add up lines 1, 2, and 3 into a grand total of your managed square footage (Line 4). Then, divide Line 4 by Line 5 (the total square footage of the property). This gives you the percent of the total possible runoff control that you have achieved.

Additional points are gained, especially for homes that are constrained from carrying out some of the primary suggestions, by efforts to control water use in irrigation, to control yard chemical use, and to create landscape diversity and habitat sites. These activities, if carried out in a thorough manner, can boost a 70% managed rating to the necessary 80% level for certification.

Homes bordering creeks: In addition to meeting the same guidelines described above for controlling runoff, Creekkeeper Home status for homes bordering creeks must include the full 25 foot vegetation buffer from the edge of the creek.

Homeowners who are able to make other major improvements should be credited for these efforts in assessing their extent of compliance with Creekkeeper Standards. Such major improvement include removing impervious surface from the creek or dry watercourse or removing nonnative species of plants from the creek area (ivy, kudzu, privet) and replanting with native plants. Some trade-off in creek protection and runoff control can be made, to achieve Creekkeeper Certification.

"River, Tributary, and Storm Water Buffers--Revegetation Standards" Fulton County, April 10, 1996.

"Sustainable Land Development and Construction: Guidelines for the Southeast". Southface Energy Institute (www.southface.org)

"Stormwater Management: Environmentally Sound Approaches" Environmental Building News, September/October 1994.

Municipal Storm Water Management. Thomas N. Debo and Andrew J. Reese. Boca Raton, FL: Lewis Publishers. 1995.

Center for Watershed Protection (for information email: mrrunoff@pipeline.com)

"Landowner’s Guide to Conservation Options: Private Landowners Conserving Georgia’s Natural Heritage" 1990 Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Georgia Natural Heritage Program (2117 U.S. Hwy 278, SE, Social Circle, GA 30025; 770-918-6411; shan_cammack@mail.dnr.state.ga.us)

"Xeriscape Landscaping: Preventing Pollution and Using Resources Efficiently". 1993. United State Environmental Agency, Office of Water, EPA Publication #B-93-001.

"Xeriscape: A Guide to Developing a Water-wise Landscape" n.d. Cooperative Extension Service, University of Georgia, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Athens.

"Riparian Buffer Programs" by M. Heraty, in A Guide to Developing and Implementing a Riparian Buffer Program as an Urban Stormwater Management Practice. Prepared for U.S. EPA Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

"The Architecture of Urban Stream Buffers", by Tom Schueler. In, Watershed Protection Techniques, Vol. 1 (4): 155-64.

"How to Create an Oasis with Grey Water" by Art Ludwig. Santa Barbara, CA: Oasis Design. 1994

"Turning the Tide: A Citizen’s Guide to Reducing Nonpoint Source Pollution." by Harborwatch, Inc. Obtain from: S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, Bureau of Water Pollution Control, Nonpoint Source Program, 2600 Bull Street, Columbia, SC 29201-1708

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