Communities throughout Pennsylvania are stepping up efforts to control stormwater runoff that can contribute to erosion and can affect local streams.

Property owners who attend a May 14 program in Hempfield will get tips on how they can do their part, by better managing the stormwater on their land.

Hosted by the Penn State Extension office of Westmoreland County, the Stormwater BMP (Best Management Practices) Walk is set for 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 214 Donohoe Road.

Justin Mansberger, an extension educator and master watershed steward coordinator, will lead the walk through the grounds of the Westmoreland Conservation District barn and the adjacent GreenForge Building. The latter building has an energy efficient “green roof” featuring succulent plants that can withstand extremes in weather while helping to cool the building in summer and protecting the rubber membrane underneath.

Mansberger will explain the various BMPs in place on the property — including a cistern and permeable paving, as well as the green roof.

“I will be highlighting the ones that can be implemented for homeowners,” he said. That includes a rain garden, rain barrels and a bioswale — a depression or trench that receives rainwater runoff and has vegetation and organic matter to slow water infiltration.

Program participants also will learn how to estimate the volume of stormwater produced by a rooftop, how plants improve stormwater management and how to determine the predominant soil type on a property and its effect on water infiltration.

As of Monday, three people had signed up for the walk, which will be open to a limited number of participants. Mansberger said a $5 registration fee will include handouts and resources that attendees can use to implement BMPs on their property.

Visit extension.psu.edu/stormwater-bmp-walk for more information and to register.

‘Water Currents’ topics online

The walk is offered through the the Penn State Extension’s Renewable Natural Resources Team, which holds “Water Currents” discussions of water-related topics that can be viewed live or through archived videos on its Facebook page.

The next discussion, set for noon on May 10, is titled “Combined Sewer Overflows: What’s Overflowing and What’s Being Done?” The program will focus on water contaminants associated with sewer overflows, ways communities are addressing overflows, and steps residents can take to reduce the load on combined stormwater and sanitary sewer systems.

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