Building the best stormwater management setup requires using the best materials. Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need for different stormwater strategies.
Ponds and Basins
A pond needs a good liner. While there exist any number of options on the market, they are not all built the same. For instance, those made with reinforced polyethylene (RPE) or high density polyethylene (HDPE) hit the perfect mix of nontoxic and durable, while ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPDM) offers similar results.
Other materials fail to do the same. Some don’t offer the right material mix to prevent punctures, making it so your pond’s lining is permeable. This is a no-go for retention pond users who want their moisture to stick around. The same goes for many other options (such as natural or PVC products), which might do the trick for a few years, but eventually break down.
If you want the highest-quality liners, you can go in one of several directions:
- AquaArmor: This is the ideal liner for ponds. If you are creating a large stormwater pond, then this is the ideal. It is durable, puncture-proof, and benign to wildlife and plants. You can drink from ponds lined with AquaArmor, provided you are filtering it appropriately, so it’s an excellent choice for homeowners who want to harvest water for use indoors.
- AquaProFlex: For small ponds with highly decorative or landscaped qualities, AquaProFlex is the best choice. It conforms to highly irregular spaces, so it’s perfect for lining a natural depression or a small, decorative pond.
- ArmorPro: Looking for something that can deal with the chemicals that often go hand in hand with runoff? ArmorPro is the solution, providing excellent protection and giving you the tools you need to treat stormwater safely.
In addition to a liner, you might choose to use a filter in your pond. If you want to use the water inside the home, this is a necessary step. However, many people add filters to their ponds even if they don’t plan on drinking the water because they want to keep it clean for wildlife. Hunters, for instance, love to draw ducks and deer to the area, which requires a clean water supply.
Anyone who wants to use pond water inside the home will also need a pump and piping of some kind to get it there. It’s best to speak to an expert about which materials are best and safest on your property.
Rain Barrels
Rain barrels are similar to ponds, but instead of being open to the sky, they are contained. However, they should still be lined for best effect. This prevents pollutants and chemicals from degrading the rain barrel itself, so you can keep using it for years to come. AquaArmor is an excellent choice here.
Green Roofs
Impermeable liners are absolutely critical for green roofs. The structural integrity of a roof must be unassailable, or else you risk leaks in the building. These are extremely costly to fix and sometimes necessitate removing and rebuilding the entire roof, as well as the green roof. (Though anyone who has to rebuild their roof because of a leaky garden is often over the idea entirely, which is a shame).
To avoid this outcome, use the best liners in the business. You’ll want something completely impermeable against the rooftop, but light as well – roofs have very specific load-bearing abilities. On top of that, you’ll need some combination of filtration, thermal insulation, and growing media, all topped with plants.
Green roofs are not DIY propositions, so make sure you get professional help to create yours.
Gardens and Garden-Adjacent Systems
Any garden, rain garden, planter box, bioswale, or trench will require a specific mix of materials based on its composition. However, you will always need either soil or soilless growing media, containers where necessary, plants, and liners for planter boxes you want to keep moist year-round.
