HRC has been retained by Bloomfield Township to design and build a bioswale to improve the quality of the storm water that discharges into Meadow Lake. To create the bioswale, a roadside ditch will be converted to a wetland by land balancing and establishing wetland plants native to Michigan. Once established, the wetland will improve the quality of the storm water reaching the lake, enhance habitat for wildlife and provide a visual amenity.

Meadow Lake is a 50-acre residential lake in Bloomfield Township and is tributary to the Franklin Branch of the Rouge River. It is just east of the intersection of Inkster and Maple Roads. A 30-inch storm sewer serves a large area north of the lake and discharges into the lake via the roadside ditch at its north end. The storm sewer carries runoff from residential and commercial areas as well as a golf course and a school. Historically, the storm water discharged from the sewer has been a source of significant amounts of sediment, nutrients and other pollutants. The discharges have been the subject of frequent concern and complaints from the residents of the lake.

The main design of the bioswale includes four distinct planting zones. Each zone will be a monoculture of plants with similar flowering color which will provide a landscaped appearance without sacrificing the water quality benefit of the bioswale. A low maintenance lawn mix will be planted along the adjacent road to reduce maintenance costs and an area of tall prairie grasses and shrubs will be planted along the north side of the swale to screen out Maple road and add additional color to the landscape.

The design will feature infiltration trenches that will be filled with 1” x 3” crushed aggregate. The space constraints of the site prevent the use of inline detention for water storage so the infiltration trenches will provide an area where storm water will be detained and allowed to seep into the soil profile. In addition to the infiltration trenches, the current swale will be widened from 6 feet to 12 feet which will aid in reducing flow velocities and encourage uptake and infiltration of the storm water.