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Winter Watch: Can Flooding Harm My Artificial Lawn?

 

Winter Watch: Can Flooding Harm My Artificial Lawn? http://www.heavenlygreens.com/blog/can-flooding-harm-my-artificial-lawn @heavenlygreensOne of the potential weather worries Bay Area residents face is flooding. You don’t have to live in a low-lying area. Under the right conditions – or perhaps we should say the wrong conditions – flooding can occur in surprising places. If it happens to you, will it harm your artificial lawn? Probably not.

 

 

 

There’s flooding, and then there’s flooding

Under normal circumstances, it is highly unlikely your artificial lawn will flood. The superior synthetic turf products we sell here at Heavenly Greens, combined with our expert installation, ensure consistent, reliable drainage that far exceeds what you’d get with live grass. Nonetheless, in an extremely heavy downpour the soil may not be able to absorb water as fast as it’s coming down. Rainwater temporarily puddles up waiting its turn to move into the soil. That’s one kind of flooding.

But most floodwater doesn’t come straight from the sky. And major floods are not temporary. The water backs up fast and may take days to recede. This is not “just water.” Floodwater that has backed up from elsewhere typically brings a combination of street runoff, stream or river water. Contaminants can include everything from yard maintenance chemicals and household cleaners to animal waste and who-knows-what else, even raw sewage.

This unhealthy brew breeds a variety of bacteria and poses other potentially dangerous problems. Just one common example is giardia, a parasite that gets into the intestines of pets and people who drink infested water, causing severe abdominal cramps and diarrhea.

What does all this mean for your artificial lawn?

Rainwater that has temporarily puddled up will drain away as intended, as soon as it can. It’s all good. If there was dust or debris on your lawn before the rain storm, it will now be wet and possibly a bit muddy. Rinse the grass with your hose, and all will be well.

Contaminated floodwater is different. It will eventually drain away or run off down the street and into storm drains, where it will ultimately find its way to the Bay. But what it leaves behind is not something you want to remain. Clean your artificial grass as soon as you can, to protect the health and safety of your family and pets and ensure that contaminated muck doesn’t get tracked into the house.

Be very careful removing debris, as it could contain broken glass or pieces of metal that could hurt you or damage your fake grass. Once any larger pieces are gone, gently clean the surface using the same techniques you normally use to maintain your artificial lawn. Adding a tablespoon of dish soap per gallon of water you spray on the grass should loosen any resistant silt.

In the face of all this yucky business, there is yet another reason to be glad you switched to an artificial lawn. In many cases, natural grass lawns cannot recover from major flooding. The only remedy is to rip it out and start over. Knowing that makes cleaning up your faux grass easier, doesn’t it? Even better – top-quality faux grass is made to stand up to adversity. So the crud from the flood won’t cause stains, fading, etc.

Call us

We can send someone out to inspect your artificial lawn. The longer floodwater hangs around, the more damage it does to the underlying soil, compacting it and squeezing out the oxygen. Before we install synthetic turf, we carefully prepare the foundation layers to prevent settling, etc. that occur with natural grass. A Heavenly Greens professional can help determine whether flooding may have affected these sub-surface layers of your installation.

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