So about 10 years ago the Willamette river in Portland was one of the most polluted rivers in the US. A major reason was that we get a lot of rain, which led to a lot of sewage overflow events.
The city decided that in addition to updating the sewer, one of the most logical things to do would be to simply return rain water to the soil underneath the city when possible.
To this end they've been going around and paying to disconnect people's rainwater spouts from the sewage system, but have also taken to putting in
bioswales absolutely any time they redevelop a street.
Below are some examples:
They've also offered credits to places that develop parking lots and include bioswales in them (like the second picture).
Before I saw them popping up around town I'd never even heard of them. It makes sense... it only takes a few blocks of Portland total over 150 million gallons of rainwater a year.
But as soon as I understood them I was fascinated, especially with the diversity in designs I'd seen just in the city.
So I was wondering if anyone else had encountered bioswales, and if so, post some pictures! They fascinate me and I'd love to see some pictures of bioswales in action.
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