This project is the recipient of the 1997 International Erosion Control Association's Environmental Achievement Award. The interdisciplinary design team created a series of three ponds along the relocated streamcourse, relied on vegetation as the basis of channel erosion control in order to maximize the habitat value, and used a dam and weir to allow the channel and pond complex to function as a detention basin. By selecting bioengineering as the primary erosion control along the water's edge rather than rip rap, the basin became the visual focal point, rather than an ugly structure. The first basin was designed as a sediment trap, easily accessible for maintenance dredging. The channel flows to the second basin designed as a heavily planted wetland for general biological treatment and filtration of stormwater entering the system.
Baffles help optimize water circulation within the wetlands.
The third basin, really a small pond, is designed with a graceful shape, an island, and a wetland border consisting of native grasses, wildflowers, trees, and shrubs. The design simultaneously addressed erosion and sediment control, stormwater treatment, permit requirements, wildlife habitats and aesthetic features in order to make the most out of a tight budget for sitework. The Bioengineering Group developed rigorous construction details and specifications in order to assure successful implementation of this innovative design and also provided construction inspection services. The end result is a project with beauty that changes with the seasons, enhanced by flowing water, the sounds of a waterfall, and the sight of attractive ponds. Most importantly, the quality of water on site and downstream is the primary focus of the effort, plus maintenance costs are expected to be lower than for conventional site facilities and plantings.