How to Use Rain as a Resource

Ideas to SLOW it down

Depave your driveway
Naturalize your yard by planting native trees, shrubs and flowers
Install a rain barrel and use collected water to:
- - water gardens
  - wash your car
  - wash your dog
  - water indoor plants
Disconnect your downspouts from the municipal sewer drains, direct them into rain gardens instead to help absorb rain and reduce flooding
Have a naturalized stormwater retention pond installed to catch runoff

Ideas to SOAK it up

Plant a Rain Garden
Replace pavement or concrete with:
- - Gravel, stones or pebbles
  - Pervious concrete
  - Porous or permeable asphalt (good for areas that will be snow plowed and need to remain level, like we are doing in a parking lot in Sackville)
  - Concrete grid pavers
  - Interlocking concrete tiles
  - Grass tiles (also called reinforced turf pavers or turf slab)
Install a green roof on your home or out-buildings

Low Impact Commitments

Do you care about flooding and its impacts on your community? EOS collected photo commitments (see below) from many local residents about how they plan to use rain as a resource. Post your own photos on social media with #RainAsAResource to show what you’re doing at home to reduce flooding. By following #RainAsAResource on social media, you can see what others in the area are doing to lessen their impact on the environment. See the photo commitments we gathered here:

EOS Eco-Energy is using rain as a resource too!

Here is our first depaving project near the Bill Johnstone Memorial Park in June 2019

What is depaving?

Depaving involves removing existing asphalt, concrete or other hard surfaces. Permeable asphalt, rain gardens or other green spaces replace the removed surfaces.

Before vs. after the permeable pavement was laid at the site near the park

Why is depaving important?

When water hits impervious surfaces such as asphalt pavement and concrete, it is unable to enter the soil and ground water system. This causes rain and meltwater to run into storm sewers and local waterways. This runoff water can carry pollutants such as oil, pesticides and plastics.

When polluted water enters a water body, it can have devastating effects on riparian plant and animal health, destroy habitat and lower water quality. Depaving allows water to naturally enter the soil and groundwater system, filtering out pollutants before they reach local water bodies.

Check out the CBC article about our project at the link below!

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/aspahlt-pavement-depave-sackville-eos-water-quality-1.5163654

Depaving can help keep our waterways healthy in Tantramar

The depaved site had it’s first test the day after it was completed. The rain is able to seep into the reservoir below ground where it will continue to percolate into the ground.