Over the last couple days, parts of Jacksonville experienced urban flooding that had people in my neighborhood of Springfield moving their cars blocks away to higher ground.   Drivers had to find alternate routes home as streets became impassable. A video of cars driving through water up to the hoods through San Marco circulated on social media.  This was only after two days of rainfall.  Milli Vanilli and others might “Blame it on the Rain.”  But was it really the rain’s fault?

Urban Flooding

Urban flooding is caused by excessive stormwater runoff in developed areas where the water has nowhere to go and the drainage systems are overwhelmed. Rooftops, parking lots, and streets prevent the rain from soaking into the ground and instead it goes into storm drains and channeled creeks until they are full and overflowing. It doesn’t take a hurricane to cause this. My rain gauge had 5” of rain one day and 4” of rain the next with no tropical system in sight.

Now more than ever, cities and residents need to make improvements to infrastructure and property to deal with flooding.  One of the nine Florida-Friendly Landscaping principles is “Reduce Stormwater Runoff.” Under that principle, homeowners have a variety of tools they can use to keep  rainwater on their property. The City of Jacksonville has developed a Resilience Strategy (access it at ResilientJacksonville.com) where plans to deal with urban flooding and other issues are laid out.

Cisterns and Rainbarrels

Some cities are using very large cisterns to catch rainfall that can then be used for irrigation or even filling firetruck tanks.  Homeowners can use rainbarrels attached to downspouts to catch water for their plants. A typical half inch rainfall will fill a 50-gallon barrel.

Raingardens and Bioswales

Installing a raingarden will give the water coming out of your gutter time to soak into the ground before it hits the storm drain. Berms constructed near the property line can stop rain before it hits the curb.  Jacksonville’s resiliency plan features bioswales, which are depressed, linear ditches for rainwater infiltration. They’re sort of like raingardens for the street.

Permeable Sidewalks and Pavers

Improved streetscapes with more trees and even water permeable sidewalks are mentioned in the City’s strategy as well. Homeowners might translate this to the landscape by using permeable pavers for driveways and using gravel, mulch, or bricks with sand instead of grout for paths and patios.

Trails and Pollinator Gardens

Connecting green spaces and parks with trails can create wildlife habitat corridors and improve water management. The Emerald Trail project will provide these benefits plus many more.  Neighbors can work together to link up spaces across their property lines for pollinator and wildlife habitat, as well as improved drainage.

The problem of urban flooding will only get worse if we do nothing.  However, upgrades to public infrastructure combined with residents doing their part in their own yards will make a big impact.

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