Soak It Up: Natural Stormwater Infiltration for Your Landscape

Spring snowmelt and rains bring recurring runoff problems. Homeowners can help by infiltrating water on-site instead of sending it to storm drains. Infiltration—nature's slow cleanse, store, and release—is the single best action for water quality and runoff reduction.

The Infiltration Process

Water entering and absorbed by soil. Plants and soils collectively cleanse, store, and control stormwater quality/volume. Infiltration reduces overall runoff (less downstream load) and improves quality through biologically active, plant-stabilized soil.

What Blocks Infiltration

Buildings and paving displace permeable ground, creating impervious caps. Runoff from these surfaces carries oils and pollutants. Introducing pervious surfaces—permeable paving, gravel beds, planted areas—drastically cuts runoff and cleanses water.

Features That Promote Infiltration

Permeable Paving

Modular pavers on sand, porous asphalt, cobbles interplanted with mosses. Maximize soil infiltration. Mix materials for color/texture variation. Note: Bare soil erodes—avoid.

Gravel & Stone Beds

Infiltration trenches/swales—linear depressions receiving, holding, infiltrating stormwater. Integrate as gravel trenches, walkways, dry creekbeds. Use local stone for regional color/texture harmony.

Planted Areas & Rain Gardens

Rain gardens: depressions near runoff sources storing water before infiltration. Plants withstand drought/flood cycles and cleanse contaminants. Direct downspouts via swales. Rain Garden Alliance helps size for your roof area, rainfall, etc.

Lawns infiltrate if water spreads sufficiently (not dumped from pipe). Requires organic maintenance—chemicals contaminate watersheds.

Terracing Steep Slopes

Stone-faced terraces with grasses, shrubs, perennials slow stormwater for infiltration on slopes.

Sizing/siting depends on storm frequency/intensity and soil infiltration rate. Professional calculation or online tools available. Any method here fits a sustainable stormwater plan.