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Located near Lake Shawnee in the Aquarian Acres subdivision |
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"Green" solution alternative to typical concrete drainage channel |
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Estimated $5,000 savings |
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The Virgo Drive Project was initiated when the Aquarian Acres neighborhood contacted the Water Pollution Control Division when they began noticing erosion in a drainage channel between two homes. The channel was dry most of the year but carried stormwater runoff during large rain storms. Rather than constructing a concrete-lined "trickle" channel that would require a high level of maintenance, WPC decided to use a more sustainable approach to solve the problem.
The Virgo Drive project used an under-drain system to increase infiltration and to make the project more aesthetic for the neighborhood. The under-drain system was created by digging a trench, placing perforated pipe wrapped in filter fabric and covering it with washed gravel. The pipe was connected to an area inlet that would handle normal flows during a rain event. The pipe was then backfilled with soil and the project was finished with the installation of grass sod. Now when it rains, the water flows through the swale and is absorbed by the grass roots or flows through the soil and into the pipe, slowing the velocity of runoff and allowing the water to soak into the ground.
Note: Although fescue sod was used for this project, the installation of fescue does not function as well as native grasses in the uptake of water. This is due to the short root system of turf grasses like fescue (1/2"-3") as opposed to that of native grass (upwards of 12" deep).
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