Water arrived from beyond the property.
The backyard sat at the block’s low point, receiving concentrated runoff from neighboring downspouts and an alley within a constrained urban footprint.
Chesapeake Watershed Forum · November 14, 2026
When the Backyard Becomes the Basin
Small urban properties can carry far more stormwater responsibility than their boundaries suggest.
Selected session
Practical solutions for people and planet
Session information
Date
Saturday, November 14, 2026
Time
9:00–10:00 a.m.
Place
National Conservation Training Center
Shepherdstown, West Virginia
Format
60-minute case-study session
This session follows an Old Town Alexandria townhome located at the lowest point of its block, where runoff from neighboring downspouts and an alley converged in a constrained backyard.
The resulting retrofit combined site diagnosis, permeable hardscape, rain-garden function, retention capacity, upcycled raised beds, edible planting and client education. The project offers a practical model for turning overlooked residential sites into maintainable watershed assets.
What participants will take away
Read the water. Stack the functions. Design for care.
- 01
Read the complete drainage pattern before prescribing a solution.
- 02
Identify runoff entering from beyond the apparent project boundary.
- 03
Communicate constraints, costs and maintenance tradeoffs clearly.
- 04
Combine stormwater, landscape and residential-use functions in limited space.
- 05
Design interventions that can be maintained and adapted over time.
- 06
Recognize small residential projects as scalable watershed practice.
The case in two views
A site problem becomes a watershed practice.
The project was designed as a maintainable residential landscape, not a single-purpose drainage device.
Water, planting and use work together.
Permeable surfaces, rain-garden function, retention, raised beds and owner education form a layered system designed for stewardship and adaptation.
About the speaker
Patrick B. Moran
A Northern Virginia-based entrepreneur, operator and Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional focused on practical sustainability, conservation landscaping and site-level implementation.
Through TLC Design Co. / Tactical Land Care, Patrick has led residential and small-site projects involving drainage, stormwater management, permeable surfaces, native and edible planting, and conservation-focused design. He also serves as Chief Financial Officer at Moran Global Strategies and Chair of the City of Alexandria Citizen Corps Council, bringing an operations-focused perspective to resilience, stewardship and practical implementation.
Speaking & correspondence
Bring practical resilience into the conversation.
For speaking, collaboration or questions about the case study, begin with the audience and the outcome you are working toward.
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