A Natural Way to Prepare for Climate Change
Climate change is happening now in the watershed. Our communities are getting warmer and wetter as temperatures rise and rainfall increases. Existing stormwater infrastructure, like storm sewers, may not be able to manage the increase in rainfall from intense rainstorms, raising the risk of local flooding.
Flooding can be costly for homeowners and municipalities. It can damage homes and disrupt livelihoods. But there’s a beautiful, natural way homeowners can help protect their properties from rain: They can create rain-ready yards and gardens using the right native plants in the right place.
How Nature Helps Reduce Flood Risk
Flooding happens when water has nowhere else to go. Hard surfaces, like roads, sidewalks, roofs and driveways, don’t allow rain to absorb into the ground. Instead, rain runs off these hard surfaces and is directed somewhere else, like a storm sewer. As rain runs off these surfaces, it also picks up pollutants like oils and fertilizers and other debris, which end up in our lakes, rivers and streams. Natural areas, like gardens, absorb rain into the ground where it falls. Plant roots and soil also filter pollutants as water is absorbed. Catching and absorbing rain where it falls can help prevent flooding.
Rain-ready Home Landscapes
Using rain-loving native plants, homeowners can create beautiful, resilient rain-ready yards and gardens that can help manage and absorb rainwater. The kind of rain-ready landscape you can create will depend on the size and condition of your property, but they can include features like rain gardens, soakaways and rain barrels.
Native plants grow naturally within and around the Credit River Watershed and have evolved with local climate conditions. Rain-loving species are often tolerant of both wet and dry periods and can keep your yard and garden looking beautiful year-round.
Native trees can also absorb rainwater while providing cooling shade on increasingly hot summer days. They complement any rain-ready garden project. Our new Native Plants for Rain-ready Landscapes guide can help you choose the right trees, shrubs or plants for your yard.
Climate Readiness Week in Fletchers Creek
CVC watershed residents in Brampton’s Fletchers Creek SNAP and Community Tree Project neighbourhoods are invited to attend CVC’s Climate Readiness Week to learn how climate change is affecting their community and how to use rain-ready native plants and gardening techniques to prepare their yards for climate change. From Saturday, September 17 to Saturday, September 24, residents can attend virtual and in-person community events, like tree planting, creek and rain garden walking tours, webinars and workshops, and enter to win great prizes to help them get started with rain-ready projects. Explore the full event listing and register at cvc.ca/climate-readiness.
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