Photo Credit: Regenerative Design Studios
With more stories of major flooding, drought, and eroding landsides in the news, people often ask, “What is the answer to solving these problems?” As a major component of a holistic Best Management Practices approach, bioswales are one of the many answers.
Both large- and small-scale projects can take advantage of updated bioswale techniques to improve city infrastructure—from the increase of biodiversity to water purification and the reduction of flooding. By understanding how these can best be utilized, designed, installed, and maintained, officials have the opportunity to change the way a new project is approached.
As communities look for ways to enhance their public spaces with aesthetically pleasing and environmentally stable elements, bioswales are evolving beyond their basic functionality to allow for more creative applications. No longer simply relegated to concrete drainage systems, bioswales not only can convey the natural beauty of their surroundings but take advantage of rain and other sources of runoff, where neighborhoods—predominantly surrounded by pavement—have experienced problems with pollution and flooding, and turn them into beautiful, adaptive solutions.