On 06/05/2012 09:43, 'Mike' wrote:
An iow urgler has raised an interesting question with me

A lot has been said about the rainwater not getting to the water table, but
think about it and be honest. What have YOU done on your land to
STOP/PREVENT the rain water soaking down?

Since moving into this house in 1986, we have built a garage, put up a shed,
put up a greenhouse and put a verandah across the width of the back of the
house. All of this covers in excess of 600 square feet. That's over 600
square feet of garden covered with 'roof'. BUT, they all have water butts
linked to them and the overflows are sending the water back into the ground
with none in a situation whereby the water flows off to a drain. A water
butt linked to the house guttering DOES have the overflow going into a
drain, but it did before.

However, a concrete hard standing outside the garage of some 250 square
feet, which was plain earth, DOES now go into a drain.

So what have YOU done? Hard standing with a run off to the road drain?
Extension with water now going into the drains/main sewer? New House on that
bit of garden?

Related to your question, if a bit at a tangent to it, is the problem
that "concreting over" causes. It increases the flooding risk as the
drains can't cope with the water than would previously have soaked
away.. So much so, I believe, that many authorities have banned the
concreting/asphalting of front gardens to provide more parking space.

--

Jeff