High-gradient stormwater step-pool swale

This site is currently undergoing revision. For more information, open this link.
This page and section are in development

Stormwater step pool. Courtesy of Limnotech.>

Green Infrastructure: Swales can be an important tool for retention and detention of stormwater runoff. Because they utilize vegetation, swales provide additional benefits, including cleaner air, carbon sequestration, improved biological habitat, and aesthetic value.

Stormwater step pools are defined by its design features that address higher energy flows due to more dramatic slopes than dry or wet swales. Using a series of pools, riffle grade control, native vegetation and a sand seepage filter bed, flow velocities are reduced, treated, and, where applicable, infiltrated. to shallow groundwater. The physical characteristics of the stormwater step pools are similar to Rosgen A or B stream classification types, where “bedform occurs as a step/pool, cascading channel which often stores large amounts of sediment in the pools associated with debris dams” (Rosgen, 1996). These structures feature surface/subsurface runoff storage seams and an energy dissipation design that is aimed at attenuating the flow to a desired level through energy and hydraulic power equivalency principles (Anne Arundel County, 2009). Stormwater step pools are designed with a wide variety of native plant species depending on the hydraulic conditions and expected post-flow soil moisture at any given point within the stormwater step pool.

high-gradient stormwater step-pool swale articles

• Terminology for high-gradient stormwater step-pool swale
• Overview for high-gradient stormwater step-pool swale
• Types of infiltration
• Types of filtration
• Design criteria for high-gradient stormwater step-pool swale
• Construction specifications for high-gradient stormwater step-pool swale
• Operation and maintenance of high-gradient stormwater step-pool swale
• Assessing the performance of high-gradient stormwater step-pool swale
• Calculating credits for high-gradient stormwater step-pool swale
• Cost-benefit considerations for high-gradient stormwater step-pool swale
• Case studies for high-gradient stormwater step-pool swale
• External resources for high-gradient stormwater step-pool swale
• References for high-gradient stormwater step-pool swale
• Requirements, recommendations and information for using dry swale (grass swale) without an underdrain in the MIDS calculator
• Requirements, recommendations and information for using dry swale (grass swale) with an underdrain in the MIDS calculator
• Requirements, recommendations and information for using swale side slope as a BMP in the MIDS calculator
• Dry swale (grass swale) and interesting websites