CRWD is promoting downspout redirection because it's easy to understand, and can be easy to implement. With more than 60,000 garages in St. Paul, downspout redirection is a great opportunity to reduce runoff. Redirecting your garage downspout will divert about 2 million gallons of runoff from entering the Mississippi River over a ten-year period. Click on the photos below for pointers on what makes each garage a "do" or a "don't."
No gutters? No problem! Some garages don't have gutters, but aren't generating polluted runoff. When it rains, this garage roof slopes towards the alley where nearly all the runoff is intercepted by vegetable or flower gardens.
No gutters? No problem! Some garages don't have gutters, but aren't generating polluted runoff. When it rains, this garage roof slopes towards the alley where nearly all the runoff is intercepted by vegetable or flower gardens.
There are creative ways to route gutter downspouts over or around hard surfaces. This homeowner waters daylilies with roof water without running the gutter extension across the sidewalk.
Add a gutter, Stop the Rain Drain. Rain drain can be stopped on this garage by installing a new section of gutter with the downspout installed on the lawn side of the garage. An extension can direct runoff onto grass, a flower garden, or into a rain barrel.
It's simple to Stop the Rain Drain on some garages. This downspout is directed onto the apron which drains to the alley, but the solution is as simple as shifting the elbow 90 degrees, and/or adding a downspout extender.
Add a gutter, Stop the Rain Drain. Rain drain can be stopped on this garage by installing a new section of gutter with the downspout installed on the lawn side of the garage. An extension can direct runoff onto grass, a flower garden, or into a rain barrel.
