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What Is Stormwater Management?

Stormwater management is the practice of controlling where rainwater moves and collects on your property.

After a heavy rain, you may notice water pooling in undesirable areas, collecting near foundations, washing across the landscape, or remaining in areas where it does not properly drain within 24–48 hours. This is where stormwater landscaping can help.

We design landscapes so water moves with intention—directing it toward areas where it can slow down, soak into the soil, or be put to use within the landscape.

Depending on the property, this may include rain gardens that capture and filter runoff, vegetated swales and dry creek beds that guide water from one area to another, grading that improves drainage, or rain barrels that capture water for later use.

Rather than simply trying to get rainwater off the property as quickly as possible, we look for ways to work with water as a resource while helping protect your home and landscape.

Diagram showing how to choose drought-tolerant plants for a garden. It depicts water runoff from a house with a basement, explaining deep roots, berms, and downhill ridges to contain water and prevent overflow, with annotations on soil, water flow, and plant placement.

Stormwater Management Systems

  • A garden with colorful flowers, including yellow flowers with dark centers in the foreground, surrounded by green plants and grass, with a wooden bench and trees in the background.

    Rain Gardens

    Shallow planted depressions designed to temporarily collect stormwater, allowing it to slowly soak into the soil while filtering runoff through plants, roots, and soil.

  • A grassy area with a dirt path on the left, lined with trees and wildflowers on the right, under a clear sky.

    Vegetated Swales

    Broad, gently sloped channels planted with grasses, sedges, and other vegetation that slow and guide water across the landscape while encouraging infiltration.

  • Garden bed with green leafy plants, bordered by rocks and a weathered wooden picket fence.

    Dry Creek Beds

    Stone-lined channels that direct water through the landscape during rain events while remaining dry most of the time. They can be both functional and a beautiful landscape feature.

  • Young green plants with long leaves are lined up on bare soil in a garden bed, surrounded by pine needles, small rocks, and scattered leaves.

    Riparian & Shoreline Buffers

    Planted buffers along waterways, ponds, ditches, or shorelines that help slow runoff, stabilize soil, capture sediment, and filter pollutants before they reach the water.

Other Types Of Stormwater Management solutions

A green leaf with a curled edge.
Green leafy plant with a curved stalk
A green leaf with a curved stem on a white background.
A green leaf with a curved stem.
Graphic of a green check mark with a swirl design.
A green leaf with a curved shape.

Grading & Drainage Correction

Thoughtful reshaping of the land to redirect water away from foundations, structures, and persistently wet areas toward places where it can safely infiltrate or be managed.

Infiltration Areas

Features such as infiltration trenches or gravel-filled basins that temporarily hold runoff below the surface and allow it to gradually absorb into surrounding soil.

Rainwater Capture

Rain barrels, cisterns, and other systems that collect roof runoff so it can be stored and reused for watering gardens.

Riparian & Shoreline Buffers

Planted buffers along waterways, ponds, ditches, or shorelines that help slow runoff, stabilize soil, capture sediment, and filter pollutants before they reach the water.

Downspout Management

Redirecting roof runoff away from foundations and into gardens, rain gardens, swales, infiltration areas, or other appropriate parts of the landscape.

Permeable Surfaces

Gravel paths, stepping stones, permeable patios, and other surfaces that allow rainfall to infiltrate rather than creating additional runoff.

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