3 minute read
RAIN
Rainfall impacts on mental health
Whether it’s stress from storm damage or the consistent gloomy look outside, rainfall does have an e ect on one’s mental health.
Stormy weather can cause anxiousness and nervousness in a person as many people are unsettled by that type of weather.
Gloomy weather can also cause some to experience Seasonal A ective Disorder. According to Vincent Atchity, president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado it can be tied to things like dampness and darkness.
e National Institute of Mental Health de nes Seasonal A ective Disorder as short periods of feeling sad or not like your usual self.
While scientists do not know the exact cause for Seasonal A ective Disorder, Atchity said for those who feel it, that they should look to cultural remedies that stem from rainy cultures such as the British and Irish cultures, even Seattle. “ ey need to have sets of personal practices that they can beg, borrow and steal from others in other cultures to swerve themselves up during the dark times of the year,” said Atchity. “Have to have a personal tool kit of the go-to comforts.”
Atchity also encourages people to stand, walk and feel the rain as it can have a positive e ect on the brain.
“It is what stitches us together and makes it possible to live,” said Atchity. “It’s one of the ready accessible check-ins from the world to remind us that we are not separate from everything else, we are part of the system and the ow of water is at the heart of it.”
Being in the rain is a great refreshing check in with reality, said Atchity.
Positive environmental impacts
All the rain has been bene cial for the environment and has brought the metro area out of drought.
e Centennial Water and Sanitation District, which provides services to Solstice and Highlands Ranch, voted to remove restrictions in May as the area was out of drought conditions for the rst time since September 2021.
Rain goes into streams which then go into reservoirs. e U.S. Geological Survey produces maps of
With major streams like Plum Creek, Cherry Creek, Newlin Gulch, Clear Creek, Bear Creek and Platte River, stream ow across Douglas County ranges from above normal to record high while Je erson County ranges from normal to above and high, according to its latest update on June 28.
Within the metro area, Cherry Creek near Parker has reached record high levels of water which has helped the storage levels in Rueter-Hess Reservoir.
According to Ron Redd, district manager of the Parker Water and Sanitation District, the reservoir is close to reaching 20,000 acre feet. Another reservoir that has been lled is Chat eld Reservoir, which is utilized by the town of Castle Rock. Mark Marlowe, director of Castle Rock water, said water demands are down and the
“Usually our water demands this time of year are somewhere between 12 and 19 million gallons a day,” said Marlowe. “We’ve been seeing demands between six and 11 million gallons a day, so roughly half of what we normally see.” e ashy storms that have brought a lot of water to Plum Creek quickly present challenges as it is damaging the diversion infrastructure along the creek, said Marlowe. e other diversion on the creek has remained in service but is requiring a huge amount of maintenance according to Marlowe because the creek is carrying a lot more sand and sediment than it normally would due to the high ows and debris such as tree stumps and logs. is also a ects the water quality and which in turn increases water treatment costs. e rains have helped wildowers to bloom and have allowed the wildlife and insects to reap the bene ts. e semi-arid land makes it hard for plants and pollinators to survive, however, the rain helped the growth and abundance of wild owers and native plants, which means that there is more food for animals, shelter, soil stabilization and beauty.
However, there can be too much of a good thing.
Although heavy rain can sometimes be harmful, beauty can result from it.
“When you take away the vegetation, then you also take away the ability for this soil to stay stable,” said Sandy Holcomb, Highlands Ranch Metro District park ranger. “So not only does it provide shelter for animals, we got pollinators and this is also a stabilization for soil.”
Native plants grow each year but the rain has increased the frequency of the plants.
Larkspur have been more prominent, cottonwoods are growing seed and one plant that has thrived is yucca.
“ e water has been so good to them this year that they’re blooming like mad,” said Holcomb. “Usually you don’t see quite as many.” e diversity of the plants include butter y milkweed, prickly poppies, spiderwort, blue ax, chokecherries, three leaf sumac and purple prairie clover.
While this spring brought a di erent kind of weather pattern to the metro area, there is so much beauty that has resulted from it.
