Pacific Southwest

Title: Performance of engineered soil and trees in a parking lot bioswale

Author: Xiao, Qingfu; McPherson, Gregory

Date: 2011

Source: Urban Water Journal. 8(4): 241-253

Description: A bioswale integrating an engineered soil and trees was installed in a parking lot to evaluate its ability to reduce storm runoff, pollutant loading, and support tree growth. The adjacent control and treatment sites each received runoff from eight parking spaces and were identical except that there was no bioswale for the control site. A tree was planted at both sites. Storm runoff, pollutant loading, and tree growth were measured. There were 50 storm events with a total precipitation of 563.8 mm during February 2007 and October 2008. The bioswale reduced runoff by 88.8% and total pollutant loading by 95.4%. The engineered soil provided a better aeration and drainage for tree growth than did the control’s compacted urban soil. The superior performance of the bioswale demonstrated its potential use for large-scale application in parking lots and roadsides to reduce runoff and support tree growth.

Keywords: urban runoff; water quality; engineered soil; bioswale; parking lot

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Citation

Xiao, Qingfu; McPherson, Gregory  2011.  Performance of engineered soil and trees in a parking lot bioswale.   Urban Water Journal. 8(4): 241-253.