Transition Cheltenham

The Sustainability Education Action Group invited a landscape architect with expertise in storm water management to talk with members of Transition Cheltenham’s Food Action Group. Carl Kelemen*, a principal of the business KMS Design Group, LLC, spoke about the complicated process of managing storm water runoff. “Water goes where it will,” Carl emphasized, “and the best way to be sure it is being managed correctly is to have scientific tests and measurements conducted by a professional.” There are actions that homeowners can take to hold some rainwater on their properties such as rain barrels, dry wells, and bio-swales. And of course the best approach would be a holistic one in which the entire community had a master plan to deal with the runoff problem and flooding that it produces in waterways in basements.

This writer strongly recommends an outing to Carl’s award-winning project, the Black Rock Sanctuary along the Schuylkill River in Phoenixville. Not only is it beautiful, it is educational as well, with an interpretive path that is handicapped accessible and bike-able, and has fun-filled surprises.

*See article, “Carl Kelemen: The Courage of His Convictions” http://www.landscapeonline.com/research/article/12167

Submitted by Judith Gratz

7/25/11

Storm Water Management Tips