A frustrated homeowner recently shared how the city removed their landscaping, which caused quite a bit of damage and highlighted the importance of plant life to prevent floods.
The person posted a detailed description of what happened in the Reddit group r/legaladvice, self-described as "a place to ask simple legal questions, and to have legal concepts explained."
In the post, the Redditor said, "My City of San Clemente, California decided to remove all plants from our hillside in the Summer 'due to fire concerns' which resulted in our House getting incredibly dirty from all the dust which was rampant without all the plants."
They went on to provide details about how they wrote numerous letters urging them to replant, without ever getting a response.
The Redditor then said that a storm came, which completely flooded their backyard and caused property damage to their house before finally stating, "This could never have happened if they left all the plants on the hill."
Studies have shown that plants and trees can prevent floods. A case study from Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh (UK) found that planting certain plants around your home can prevent flooding, as reported by CountryLiving.
The simple act of turning your grass lawn into something much more natural, with a diverse array of plants and even some trees, can have numerous benefits for homeowners and the environment.
For one, natural landscapes are more water-efficient since they retain much more water compared to traditional grass lawns, the latter of which use up to 300 trillion gallons of water annually in the U.S.
A garden filled with plant life also acts as a "carbon sink," which means it helps absorb the planet-warming pollutants in the air. This can help cool the entire planet and your home while attracting biodiversity, like butterflies, and improving soil health.
Members and followers of the community had plenty of comments to add.
"The city is not in compliance with the state Erosion Prevention and Storm water Control regulations. Contact the state regulators," one person wrote.
Another added that this person should "contact CDFW (California Department of Fish and Wildlife) and the waterboard. They do not like erosion getting into our waterways and are all about BMPs (best management practices) to prevent events such as this happening."
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