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Palisades Recreation Center Stormwater Retrofit Project

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Palisades DevelopmentThe Palisades Recreation Center stormwater retrofit project aims to mitigate the impacts of historic development on the Palisades Recreation Center site.

The Palisades Community Center site is a 14-acre site located in northwest D.C. The whole site has about 2.7 acres of impervious cover which comes from rooftop, parking lot, pathways and tennis courts. In addition, there are several, well-used athletic fields on the site which are heavily used and contribute to the generation of stormwater runoff from the site.

This project included the design and construction of a stormwater best management practice (BMP) to capture and treat stormwater runoff from the existing impervious parking lot prior to its discharge to the adjacent stream.

The stormwater BMP utilized in this project is called a Bioretention system. A Bioretention is a vegetated stormwater management system that mimic the natural environment to reduce stormwater volumes and pollutants for the purpose of restoring our streams and rivers.

A bioretention provides the following benefits:

  • Reduces stormwater runoff
  • Slows stormwater flows
  • Removes stormwater pollutants
  • Provides habitat for birds, bees, and other pollinators
  • Improves air quality
  • Reduces air temperatures

By capturing stormwater and by treating the pollutants stormwater carries, a bioretention helps protect and restore our streams and rivers.

How is a Bioretention Maintained?

Routine maintenance is necessary for all stormwater management practices. Routine maintenance for a bioretention includes cleaning out the inlets to ensure that stormwater can get into it, making sure overflows are free and clear of debris so that they can function during larger storm events, sustaining the vegetative cover by weeding/mowing/pruning as needed.

Project Status: This project is now complete.

Final Designs

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