Create an ideabook for your next remodeling project!
Browse more than 1,000,000 photos from top designers and save your favorites
Dry Riverbeds Solve Water Runoff
Spring rains don't have to lead to slides. Dry riverbeds redirect water runoff and add beauty to your landscape
Cassy Aoyagi is passionate about California native foliage and sustainably crafting a distinctive California aesthetic. She is president of the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers and Native Plants and of FormLA Landscaping. Her work has been featured on the Eco Echo Park Home and Garden Tour, at the Pasadena Showcase House of Design, on the Theodore Payne Foundation Native Garden Tour, and a multitude of other Los Angeles garden tours. The Los Angeles Times and InStyle Magazine, among others, have featured gardens designed by Cassy.
Cassy Aoyagi is passionate about California native foliage and sustainably... More »
With spring here, you may be wondering how to manage runoff from snow or rain hitting saturated soils. Unexpected or mismanaged water is not just inconvenient; in some areas it is truly dangerous. In my native Los Angeles, too much water can lead to slope destabilization, slides and ocean pollution as runoff overwhelms storm systems. These are ugly problems, but at least one of the potential solutions is incredibly beautiful!
Dry riverbeds are a visually striking way to engage and manage the water on a property, whether you expect flash floods or simply hope to ensure that you control and direct the water that enters your site as productively as possible.
Dry riverbeds are a visually striking way to engage and manage the water on a property, whether you expect flash floods or simply hope to ensure that you control and direct the water that enters your site as productively as possible.
While dry riverbeds are workhorse features, don't underestimate their potential to make a positive visual impact. In arid landscapes, the mix of river rock and other permeable materials like this contrasting, colorful gravel can be dramatic and visually engaging.
|
by Celine Fisk
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| While it may or may not be the case in this garden, it is possible to route water to feed water features like this small fountain. |
| While the sense of energy and vitality created by the dry riverbed above is enhanced by the contrast in color between the river rock and surrounding stone, riverbeds surrounded by materials of more analogous materials, like the decomposed granite here, still convey richness and vitality. Note: A rain chain visible on the left of this photo allows water to permeate into the ground and feed back into the groundwater table. An infiltration pit could help move excess water off the property. |
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
While infiltration is preferred, dry riverbeds can also help excess water percolate onsite prior to efficiently leaving the property after it has saturated the soil.
While commonly associated with more xeriscaped looks, as desert gardens live or die on their ability to effectively manage low and unexpected water, dry riverbeds can complement a wide variety of aesthetics.
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| A dry riverbed can help stabilize a slope by providing a venue for water to escape, a major factor in preventing slides. This particular river may also feed an infiltration pit. |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Dry riverbeds can help route water away from the foundation of a structure. This is important, as so many structures are built without a firm understanding of the natural water flow on a property. |
|
by CYP Studios
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| This riverbed appears to feed a biological pond, a beautiful and effective way to store water onsite while allowing some water to percolate and infiltrate the groundwater table. Dry riverbeds are just one strategy for directing and managing excess water. Watch for upcoming more ideabooks on related topics and check out Erin Lang Norris' article on rain chains. More: Easy-Care Landscaping With Rocks and Boulders Great Design Plant: Slipper Plant Steeply Beautiful Slope Retention |
Comments
designchallenged Love these. Thanks.
14 months ago · Like
michigangirl72 We purchased a home with a dry riverbed in the yard and I love the looks of it HOWEVER the weeds that constantly pop through and the debris that gets blown into it are a constant pain to try and remove. Any suggestions?
14 months ago · Like
CAROLE MEYER I love the texture of the rocks as well as the useful element. Also, Michigan girl....I know, there is always something to do....we did our back terrace in stone thinking it would be very easy to maintain. Well it is, BUT, little weeds still grow up between the stone. I have to remind myself that it is easier than mowing each week! 
14 months ago · Like
· 
1
1
Frenchs Cabinet Gallery llc Michiangirl72. Next time put landscape fabric under the rock. It isn't 100% but it helps. Also, a pre-emergent applied to area will stop those pesky little seeds from sprouting. Good applied in the early spring before things warm up. There is even an organic one but it doesn't work as well as regular. I still prefer it though. Would rather pull a few weeds and be kind to my pets and the environment
14 months ago · Like
jessa we had a continual problem with rain water collecting in our side yard due to a swale (our neighbors landscaped and regraded, pushing the water into our yard!) so we finally took out the grass and put in a dry river bed. it looks great and has solved the drainage issue (pipe underneath river bed directs water to far end of yard and down a hillside) 
14 months ago · Like
· 2
2
jlwms123 Rain chains really do work and can make a beautiful landscape feature. We installed one at the end of the gutter next to the front porch where it probably should have had a downspout. It drains into a very large urn, through the bottom hole, and into a dry river bed in the front yard; haven't had any water problems since. BTW, we used the large copper cups and put a pond liner under the rocks.
14 months ago · Like
Samuel H. Williamson Associates Here's another one:
by Samuel H. Williamson...
by Samuel H. Williamson...
decorative stormwater swale14 months ago · Like
Ideabook published on March 22, 2012.
What are you working on?
News From Our Partners
Latest Ideabooks
People found the photos in this ideabook after searching for:
View over a million photos:
