Simple Ecology. Cleaning Stormwater Before the Drain.

Nature is best at cleaning up after humans.

Urban ecology.  How could this drain be simply made more ecologically friendly?  Remove concrete pad and plant grass.

Nature usually offers resilient, inexpensive, simple pollution control measures with sand filtration and plant nutrient uptake design choices.

Below are four roadside stormwater drain photos.

In each case the stormwater empties directly into the Intracoastal Waterway, pollution, oils and greases, nutrients and trash and all.

Urban ecology. Bad stormwater design.  Drain empties directly into the Intracoastal Waterway.

In the first two photos there is no last line of defense to filter out any contaminants.

Urban ecology. Another harmful stormwater design.  Drain empties directly into the Intracoastal Waterway.

In the last two photos the drains are placed in a grassy swale.

Grass and other plants act as both mechanical filters for particulate matter and also capture nutrients like phosphorous and nitrogen.

Good Urban Ecology.  Stormwater drain is positioned in middle of a grassy swale for both sand filtration and plant removal of nutrients.

Good ecology and environmental protection many times can be as simple as placing a stormwater drain in a grassy swale rather than on the edge of a road's impervious surface.

Good Urban Ecology.  Stormwater drain is positioned in middle of a grassy swale for both sand filtration and plant removal of nutrients.
 

A curb cut is all it takes.

Urban green requires us to take advantage of every opportunity nature offers to work with pervious ground and plants in treating stormwater runoff.