Protect your yard while embracing the benefits of monsoon rains

As the monsoon season starts, we hope for plentiful rain to nourish our thirsty environment and communities. Summer precipitation in the desert provides essential moisture to our typically arid landscapes, promoting healthy plant growth while reducing outdoor water use. Additionally, the rain helps to refresh the atmosphere, lowers temperatures, and improves air quality by reducing dust and pollutants. 

Many benefits come from an active monsoon season, which is why we hope that it doesn’t turn out to be just another “nonsoon.” 

Supports water sources and reduces outdoor water use
Summer rainstorms can reduce the need for watering our yards more frequently. This can help you save money on your water bill while also conserving water for everyone. In some years, such as last year, when monsoon storms were rare and rainfall totals were low, outdoor water usage increased to ensure that trees and plants survived the hot, dry days. That is why an active monsoon season is beneficial; it helps reduce excessive outdoor water usage, allowing your water provider to conserve water for future needs. While monsoon rains help our surface water sources and renew our desert landscapes, they do not have the significant impact of a bountiful winter snowfall and runoff.

Reduced wildfire risk
Seasonal rainfall can give relief to communities impacted by wildfires, aiding in extinguishing lingering flames and reducing the risk of future fires. Wet conditions decrease the likelihood and intensity of wildfires, particularly after dry spring weather. Additionally, previously burned areas have a chance to regenerate with new plant growth.

Improved vegetation and a cooling effect
Monsoon moisture helps green the desert. Native plants thrive, resulting in healthier landscapes that reduce dust and enhance air quality. Frequent storms and cloud cover lower extreme daytime temperatures, diminishing heat island effects in our urban areas.

While monsoon rainfalls are primarily beneficial, they can also lead to flash flooding and storm damage. Here are a few important things to know to help reduce their negative impact.

Minimize damage in your yard
Prune your trees less. This is critical to keeping your trees healthy enough to withstand a storm. The less you prune a tree, the stronger it will grow, so selecting the right-sized tree for a suitable space is important. Leave lower branches on a young tree. Those little branches feed the lower sections of the tree and give a mature tree height at the bottom. You can learn more about pruning a tree here .

Support your trees. Swaying in the wind can help young trees grow stronger, but the wind also can uproot them if they are not staked properly. You can learn more about that here .  

And finally, eliminate the danger of flying objects. The high winds that accompany a monsoon are powerful and can cause additional damage to your yard. In addition, items such as patio furniture can become airborne and not only damage your existing landscape but, even worse, could end up flying into a neighbor’s yard, so before a storm, move lawn cushions, umbrellas, and light furniture into the house or garage to avoid unwanted damage.

Stormwater contamination
Those heavy downpours create strong water flows that overflow driveways and sidewalks, as well as flow through streets and parking lots, increasing the likelihood of flooding. Unfortunately, these forceful water flows can also carry pollutants, such as trash, oil, pet waste, and pesticides, into our storm drains, contaminating the water that eventually flows into our local washes, parks, streams, and wetlands. Stormwater runoff  is one of the leading causes of water pollution in the United States. While some of the debris is easily visible, such as trash items and regular litter, the rain also transports other pollutants that are not as visible but far more harmful, including oil and grease, dissolved metals like lead and copper, and unnatural amounts of sediment from oily driveways, construction sites, and roadways. Please remember, only rain goes in the storm drain !

With your preparations for the monsoon season now complete, you can sit back and embrace the soothing sounds of the rain and the refreshing cooler evenings we hope will soon arrive. 

For 56 years, the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association has worked to protect our member cities' ability to provide assured, safe, and sustainable water supplies to their communities. For more water information, visit www.amwua.org .