Maintenance of Rain Gardens, Swales, and Stormwater Planters

OLCA ExpoDecember 1, 2011

Photo: EMSWCD

Partners

Candace Stoughton EMSWCDGail Shaloum Clackamas WESRob Emanuel Clean Water ServicesDamon Richardson Pacific Sports TurfHenry Stevens Portland BESMaria Cahill Green Girl Land Development

Agenda

• What is stormwater? Why manage it?• Legal issues• Role for landscape contractors• Types of facilities• Maintenance activities

• Vegetation• Pests• Irrigation• Soils/Mulch• Structures• Erosion Control• Spills

• Take home messages

What is Stormwater?

Rainfall and snowmelt that runs off instead of seeping into the ground.

Photo: morgueFile

Sources of stormwater?

Rainfall and snowmelt that runs off instead of seeping into the ground.

Roofs

Parking Lots

Driveways

StreetsEMSWCD EMSWCD

Green Girl Land Development morgueFile

Water cycle

Stormwater

Can cause unnatural floodingEast Portland News

Stormwater

Can degrade streamsPhoto: East Portland News

Photo: morgueFile Johnson Creek Watershed Council

Stormwater

Carries pollutants to waterways

morgueFile

Rain garden-municipal

Photo: EMSWCD

Planted landscape facility designed to collect and absorb runoff and filter out pollutants.

EMSWCD

Swales (aka bioswales)

Long, planted, open channel that carries, slows stormwater and filters out pollutants.

EMSWCD

Rain garden-residential

Planted landscape facility designed to collect and absorb runoff and filter out pollutants.

EMSWCD

Stormwater planter

Structural landscape reservoir designed to filter out pollutants, and in some cases, infiltrate stormwater.

EMSWCD

Stormwater planter/green street

EMSWCD

Function

Anatomy-Infiltration planter

Graphic: Clean Water Services, LIDA Manual

Anatomy-Flow through planter

Graphic: Clean Water Services, LIDA Manual

What is involved?

• Facilities need inspection and maintenance (annually, or more)

• Maintenance includes:• hydrologic and water

quality function• landscape functions• impacts on human health

and safety

EMSWCD

Business opportunity

P• Landscape Architects• Civil Engineers• Landscape Designers• Landscape Contractors• Green industry professionals

Specialized training to design, inspect and maintain

Example:City of Portland• 9000 stormwater facilities• ≈ ¼ are LID facilities

Metro

Maintenance agreements

Inspection log

• Each jurisdiction will have different requirements for inspections, reporting, etc.

General observations

Before you go…

• O & M plan or manual• As-built or design report• Locations of

inlets/outlets, plantings, irrigation, historical problems, previous observations

Clackamas County Water Environment Service

General observations

Once you arrive…• Current and recent weather conditions?• Last rain event? • Inlets and outlets clear? • Banks stable? • Draining as designed or short-cutting? • Pavement in good condition? • Animal damage? • Can you access? • Steep or uneven terrain?• People entering/cutting through the facility?

Contributing area• Trash• Leaves• Oily• Gravel• Sediment• Street or parking lot

sweeping• Fertilizer or pesticide

use• Other activities going

on upstream

Contributing area

Clackamas County Water Environment Services

Contributing area

Clackamas County Water Environment Services Clean Water Services

Safety and access

Access• Need to have access• Flat or evenly sloped• If fenced, trim

fenceline for 3 feet if space allows

• Consider safety before you begin (do not enter flooded facility)

Pacific Sports Turf

Safety and access

Clackamas County Water Environment Services

Metro

morgueFile

Safety and access

35

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)• Sturdy boots • Gloves, puncture resistant gloves • Ear plugs/earmuffs if operating power equipment• Eye protection when “weed wacking” or mechanical

trimming, handling large branches • Long sleeved shirts and pants • Hard hat if cutting

overhead

Clackamas County Water Environment Services

Safety and access

Other Equipment

• Rakes: to clean out under shrubs where you can’t see

• Grabbers: for trash, sharp objects, or needles • First aid kit

EMSWCDEMSWCD

morgueFile

Safety and accessPublic Safety• Vehicle entrances/exits• Where people walk through, create a path

Clean Water Services OSU Extension

Trash

• Remove trash to prevent clogging and contamination

Metro

O&M tasks related to vegetation

• Functions• Moving• Appearances• Pests• Irrigation

vegetation can be part of the solution……

vegetation can be part of the problem.…..…

Planting plans

Oregon Rain Garden Guide

Aesthetics

OSU Sea Grant

Aesthetics

Clean Water Services

Aesthetics vs function

Clean Water Services

Keeping things moving

morgueFile

Keeping things moving

EMSWCD

Inlets

Clean Water Services

Inlets

Clean Water Services

Shade and competition

Clean Water Services

What would you do?

Clean Water Services

Aesthetics

Clean Water Services

Aesthetics

EMSWCD

Do’s and Don’ts for Plants

• Do strive to keep good plant cover in a WQF• Do pay attention to facility design• Do replace dead plants promptly

• Don’t overly trim grasses and grass-like plants• Don’t let plants block water flow

keeping pests at bay

morgueFile

morgueFile

Principles of IPM

• Start with healthy plants• Monitor and identify pests• Be tolerant of some damage• Choose the least toxic control first• Combine techniques

Pests

Clean Water Services

Pests

Clean Water Services

Pests

Clean Water Services

Red clover (Trifolium pratense)

Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea)

Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara)

Pests

Clean Water Services