Bioswale

ADVANCED LANDSCAPE
BIOSWALES
GAYATRI SALUNKHE
RIYA SHAH
Definition
A Bioswales or vegetated swale is a form of bioretention used to partially treat water quality,attenuate
flooding potential treat water and convey stormwater away from critical infrastructure. These systems are
linear with length to width dimensions much greater than the more typical 2:1 applied to biotention cells.
OBJECTIVES
• The function of these open
channel(broad) drainageways is to
convey stormwater runoff.
• They are often used as an alternative
to,or an enhancement of , traditional
stormwater piping.
• Bioswales are often integrated into
parking lot and road medians and
parallel to roadways to infiltrate and
treat a portion of the stromewater
volume
APPLICATION
Benefits
Pollutant Removal
As stormwater runoff flows through
bioswales, pollutants are removed
through filtering by vegetation and soils.
Runoff Volumes
Even where soils have very poor
hydraulic conductivity (around 1 mm/h),
a 4 m swale/trench can reduce the
volume of runoff from a typical local PARKING LOTS
HIGHWAY MEDIANS road to about 25% of total rainfall.
Increase infiltration and ground water
recharge
LANDSCAPE FEATURE
Can be aesthetic part of landscape and
improve biodiversity.
MULTIFUNCTIONAL CONVENYANCE
SYSTEM
LANDSCAPE BUFF ALONG THE RESIDENTIAL STREETS

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STROMWATER
TREATMENT AND GRASSED CHANNEL
Types of Bioswales STROMEWATER GRASS CHANNEL
Grassed Channels Most stormwater It is based on flow rate
• These are similar to a conventional drainage ditch, with treatment practices are (i.e., a peak flow from
the major differences being flatter side slopes and sized by volume of runoff. the water quality storm;
longitudinal slopes, and a slower design velocity for That is, the process this varies from region
water quality treatment of small storm events. captures and treats a to region but a typical
• Grass channels are the least expensive option, but also defined water quality value is the one inch
provide the least reliable pollutant removal. volume,or the volume,or storm).
• The best application of a grassed channel is as the volume of water.
pretreatment to other structural stormwater treatment
practices.
• The grass channels should be designed to ensure that
runoff takes an average of ten minutes to flow from the
top to the bottom of the channel.
Wet Swales Dry Swales
These swales intersect the groundwater, and behave Dry swales incorporate a deep fabricated soil bed into the
almost like a linear wetland cell. bottom of the channel.
The design variation incorporates a shallow Existing soils are replaced with a sand/soil mix that meets
permanent pool and wetland vegetation to provide minimum permeability requirements. An underdrain system is
stormwater treatment. also placed under the soil bed.
Wet swales are rarely used in residential settings Typically, the underdrain consists of a layer of gravel encasing a
because the shallow standing water is often perforated pipe.
unpopular with homeowners. Stormwater treated by the soil bed flows into the underdrain,
which conveys treated stormwater back to the storm drain
system.
Design
Sources suggest a thick vegetative cover is needed for proper bioswale function.
Water level fluctuation, long-term inundation, erosive flow, excessive shade, poor soils, and improper installation were
found to be the most common causes of low vegetation survival in a King County study.
The design of bioswale is a balance of stormwater conveyance function with storage,infiltration and soil and biological
treatment processes
FOLLOWING CONSIDERATION SLOPE CONSIDERATION
• Swale design,including outlet design Swales are impractical for areas with very flat grades or
• Location in the treatment train. steep slopes, and should be used to serve areas of less
• Plant material selection:well drained soil than 10 acres with slopes no greater than 5%.
• Soil composition As simple thumb rule, the total surface area of swale
• On going management should be one percent of the area from which it is
receiving stormwater.
VEGETATION Maintenance
• Close growing water tolerant species that Maintenance requirements are similar to those for
provides high amounts of vegative ditches: inspecting for bank slumping & erosion,
surface area for contact with strome replanting any bare patches where vegetation has been
water. unsuccessful or removed, maintaining ideal vegetation
• Plants should be selected specifically for heights by mowing, and removing garbage.
their nutrient uptake ability and site Additionally, sediment build-up within the bottom of
appropriateness. the swale should be removed once it has accumulated
• Where possible,use native plants to to 25% of the original design volume.
improve biodiversity
Constructed pond
CASE STUDY cleansing and
absorbing a recent
Case Study: Seaside Gardens storm's gift
Seaside Gardens, in Carpinteria, sits less than a quarter mile from
Carpinteria Salt Marsh Preserve. A drainage course, collecting water from
acres of off-site nurseries, runs above ground through the garden center
prior to entering a piping system that deposits run-off directly into the
marsh. Acknowledging an opportunity to improve the quality of the salt
marsh, Seaside Gardens installed a series of bio-swales and constructed
ponds in order to clean the water of pollutants and sediment from
On-site bio-swale
adjacent properties.
Although the bio-swales and ponds performed splendidly during the first
rains of the wet season, it soon became quite clear how successful the
improvements had been. After the swales dried, a large amount of
sediment had completely covered the rock and cobble lined swale.
Because of conventional drainage practices off-site (drainage pipes,
concrete v-ditches, and impervious surfaces), run-off picked up such
velocity that it began to carry large amounts of sediment. If the slowing
mechanisms of the swales and ponds had not been in place, all that Silt-laden bio-
sediment would have been dumped directly into the marsh along with all swale.
the other pollutants that would not have had the opportunity to be
filtered out.
BHOPAL
VEGETATION
BIOSWALE ON THE
KAHJURI SADAK
FROM BIOSWALE THE

WATER FLOWS TOWARD
LAKE.

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ADVANCED LANDSCAPE

LANDSCAPE BUFF ALONG THE RESIDENTIAL STREETS

FROM BIOSWALE THE

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