Rose-colored glasses...

There is a water main break this morning in the complex where I live. I'm sure not everyone sees the magic I do, but I am suddenly awash in waves of childhood nostalgia...

Many years ago, when the town of Montrose, California was established, the plan laid out was to run all the streets in a curved pattern to simulate rose petals as you viewed the city from the air.  Lovely plan, but not so practical, as the rain and runoff patterns from the hills tended to sheet over the entire area.  So the plan was modified to build the main roadways in straight drainage lines down from the Foothills towards the normal "wash", at the lower edge of the town.  Development in the area was always rapid, not so well planned, and spotty, with the fill-in areas not necessarily receiving all the proper infrastructure.  We lived in one of those areas. 

Rosemont Avenue was a main thoroughfare, and had large sections without sidewalks or storm drains.  The street itself served as the storm drain, sitting slightly below grade from the walk ways.  The normal sand/gravel alluvial soils along each side of the road base would fill and drain - not actually a bad system except for the speed and volume of water that would be conveyed during the rainy season.

In between storms though, would be large puddles and continuously low-flow "streams" of water along the areas in front of our house.  Even more after the immediate up hill neighbor installed asphalt drive and walk ways to stop the normal annual erosion.  And hence, my future was set...

I would literally spend hours and hours "managing the runoff" through the dirt parking strip in front of our home.  Cars were usually moved to the back yard during a storm, as the rushing water would get deep, soaking the wheels and wrecking havoc on the brakes.  Sometimes it would even splash up under the hood and keep the car from starting.  So I had over 2,000 sq feet of area to build dams, tunnels, and water diversion "projects" including lakes and recreational areas.  Or so they were in my mind's eye, that wonderful world of a child's imagination.  I learned about slope, volume, flow, and the amazing power and persistence of water.  Even then, most of my plans included slowing the water and the impact of plants.

The infatuation has never left.
But I'm pretty sure those repairmen outside would rather I not get in their way...

We've moved!  Surface Water Solutions is located in Riverside, Missouri.  We're located on the Missouri River, just north of Kansas City.