A TED talk, found on youtube explains a fascinating way to prevent flooding: Planting the Rain to Grow Abundance, by Brad Lancaster. Mr Lancaster is a little enthusiastic about his topic, a bit theatrical, but he's spot on. I'd watched other videos, too, about how Tuscon, Arizona changed from being a city with increasing desertification, to one enjoying an abundance of rain, using the curb cuts and retention basins described by Mr Lancaster.

My city, Milwaukee, Wi, has added these curb cuts and retention basins in the last decade, greatly reducing street flooding during heavy rains, and spring snow melt. I added a rain garden ( lots of info about those on YouTube) last fall. I'm looking forward to seeing the abundance of native plants this spring, and a couple of neighbors mentioned wanting to do the same.

The most important part of Mr Brad Lancaster's talk, for me, was the trickle down effect of directing rain into retention basins: a reduction in neighborhood crime.

Lots of opportunities for landlords to influence, in a very positive way, the growth of our communities.

I don't post much anymore because I ran out of things to say, but this was interesting, thanks.

I'd agree that with better planning, rain harvesting could and should be implemented throughout drought prone regions. But in many places where this would work rain diversion is illegal, as Brad mentioned in the Talk.

We all just saw billions of gallons of water in CA drain into the sea. Wait till the snow melt floods begin. They should be retaining that water, and reduce their massive Colorado River draw - but they won't. There is a plan for a new dam, one. But they won't give up any river rights - while we in AZ have to conserve.

Tucson had an unusually wet "monsoon" or thunderstorm season last year. But much of their water comes from the Colorado River or treated sewage. Ground water, assisted in replenishment by retention basins is a third source. They get about a foot of annual rain, vs about 4" where I live.

We have looked into redirection and retention of water on our properties, but the cost vs return hasn't been there. Though we are looking at another 30% cost increase. Over 60% in 4 years.

Just today the city manager was crowing in the paper that our city, population 40,000 has a water allotment for 120,000, anticipating build out in 20-40 years. Like all govt officials he is completely bonkers. The water isn't there. Right now we are at Tier 2, you can't hose stuff off or water plants with an open hose, it has to have a cut off. They expect Tier 3 (20% mandatory reduction) coming in May. Lake Powell is (I think) 40 feet above dead pool, generation may be shut off this year.

We have looked at rain collection, but as the drought has continued it doesn't seem worthwhile. When we moved here we had heavy summer rains and snow in the mountains several times a year. We went TWO YEARS with zero rainfall in 2019-21. And very little since. No mountain snow in three years - at 6,000 ft.

This recent atmospheric river that dumped 30 feet of snow in the Sierra - we got 1/4 inch of rain at my house, in a week.

A bit off the topic - but I've noticed the bugs and bats are mostly gone. It started in 2018, was very noticable last summer. No bees either, very few. We had rabbits all over, hardly any now. The quail coveys used to hide in our subdivision so they didn't get shot outside the walls. We only have one family of about a dozen left. I used to hear coyotes nightly, now hardly ever - their food is gone so they've moved further out.

We are killing the planet.

We have a retention pond at my office. Our roof and parking lot drains into it. I can't remember the last time it overflowed, maybe 5 years ago. It may be our sandy soil here, but I'd say most of our water drains straight down, very little side filtration, so it's of limited use for irrigation except for some palm trees surrounding it. But our street drains directly into the river a few blocks away, so the less polluted runoff water going into the water supply the better.

I don't think rain harvesting reduces crime. Miniscule at best. Our pond is lined with river rock. We had to dump bags and bags of mortar around the rocks because vagrants were using the stones as ammo to throw rocks at our windows and passing cars.

We are on a corner, and for some reason I don't comprehend, people constantly cut across our landscaped area walking THROUGH the (usually dry) rocky pond, risking a twisted ankle, rather than walking 20 feet further on the very nice sidewalk around the property. Mostly the same low lifes who throw "Fireball" shot bottles into the basin on a daily basis, that I, at age 66 have to pick up. Grrrr.

I go to Tucson several times a year, it's one of my more favorite cities, with the university, amazing desertscaped (multi-million dollar) homes, good food and a small, eclectic downtown that isn't a pita to negociate. But much of the city is run down, drugs and street crime are a problem and homeless vagrants are everywhere, even in the upscale areas.

Tucson can be halarious though. My spouse and I were having tea in the library at the hotel before Christmas. A well dressed local couple there for dinner sat down by the fireplace and struck up a conversation. One of the first things they said right out of the blue was, "We're very liberal you know."

I mean OK, I "am" quite liberal too on many issues, but I was looking for a mirror to see if I had a sign on my forehead or looked like Leon Trotsky. Nice couple, we had a lovely chat, good thing they didn't see my pistol. :D

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Water is not leaving the planet. It's all still here. In NJ where I live on the 95 corridor, we had a drought last summer, a small one. I can look at the weather map and see the rain stop and disappear as soon as it reaches my area. We are in a slight valley below the start of the higher plain leading to the Appalachians. So the rain is falling on the higher ground just west of us. It used to not happen so often but behind that rise is now a lot of paved parking lots and asphalt roads running everywhere. You have climate and then your personal area is a "microclimate" influenced by all sorts of surface features, man made and other. YOu mention the last time something overflowed LTD, five years ago. That is a clue that your area is affected by Solar cycles, Maximum and Minimum. Your area is wetter when the sun is weaker. We are now one year into Maximum. Sun is hotter coming in my kitchen window. I can see the difference. We are in the forty degree area all month now and it's continuing. Last year we had 18s and 20s. YOur damp air is being kicked up into the atmosphere by rising heat on the land and that will go on until, oh, say, 2027. Then your rain will come back better. Moon doesn't help either. Yesterday it was at New Moon and closest in it's orbit since the MIDDLE AGES, 16TH CENTURY. It has a lot of pull to it and there were 72 earthquakes on the Geo site where usually there are 27 or thereabouts. Coastal flooding here in NJ. It's all a machine and way too big for humans to make a huge difference over a wide area. Except Brazil has taken down almost all the rainforest over the century and so it's a little drier when it gets dry in the south and west.

Correct AllyM, , its all still here. And solar minimums, maximums do affect things.

BUT, rainfall isn't quite as useful as it used to be, and that is due to cultural practices. Much of the rain now runs off, dragging dirt with it, eventually dumping that into the oceans. By planting things besides just lawn grass, with its short root system, and planting densely, leaving no bare soil, we can help get that rain deep down into our soils where it can be beneficial, instead of running to a ditch, to a river, to an ocean.

Dr. Allan Savory, biologist, and Dr Liu, photojournalist, have excellent videos on Youtube that explains this better than I ever could. And Dr Doug Tallamy, entomologist, has excellent videos out about planting native plants to support all the small things, if anyone is interested.

Thanks Busy. I will check out that information. I wonder if the thirties dust storms after the bad planting methods prior, are what made that prairie grass disappear?

I would suspect so.