Austin Offers Homeowners Tips, Incentives to Reduce Storm Water Runoff.
AUSTIN, Texas — Before you consider pouring a new backyard patio or repaving your driveway, Austin leaders are encouraging you to think about ways to help reduce storm water runoff.
Homeowners can do their part by using pavers and a gravel bed instead of concrete, or rain barrels to collect water from downspouts.
The city offers incentives for those and it could save you money on your monthly drainage fee.
City leaders are drafting a plan to require developers to help reduce storm runoff.
They say green roofs and rain gardens can make a big difference.
"These features absorb or evaporate up to 50 to 90 percent of rainwater that falls on property and can trap similar percentages of soil particle pollutants," David Foster of Clean Water Action.
The features drastically cut storm runoff and reduce flooding and erosion.
Urban runoff has become a growing source of water pollution in the city’s creeks and lakes, including Lady Bird Lake.
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