Glencoe Elementary School

Location: 825 SE 51st Street

Stormwater facilities: Parking lot swale, rain garden

Facility location: School parking lot and adjacent to native garden

Type of facility: Vegetated swales

Date of installation: 2002-2003

Impervious area managed: 4,400 sq. ft.

Parking Lot Swale:

4,400 sq. ft. of impervious surface was converted to landscape areas. Two speed bumps intercept sheet flow from the parking lot and direct it to the swale; raised parking stripes also help direct flows into the swale. Most of the runoff enters the swale at three entry points while log check dams help retain stormwater passing through the swale. In larger storm events when the system reaches capacity, excess flows drain through a standpipe in the bottom compartment of the swale.

Rain Garden:

The 2,000 sq. ft.facility manages runoff from 35,000 sq. ft.of asphalt and infiltrates most of the flow it captures, helping reduce combined sewer overflows (CSOs). This facility protects nearby residents from basement sewer backups by capturing runoff from the street and school property. In large storms, some runoff returns to the combined sewer, but the facility substantially slows stormwater flow and reduces peak flow rates.