Topic
Swale
About: Swale is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 370 publications have been published within this topic receiving 6315 citations.
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
TL;DR: In this article, a common thread across bioretention, green roofs and grassed swales was found: the export of phosphorus, which appears to be linked to high phosphorus levels in the soil media, or possibly to fertilization of turf or planted areas.
Abstract: The low impact development (LID) approach has been recommended as an alternative to traditional stormwater design. Research on individual LID practices such as bioretention, pervious pavements, and grassed swales has increased in recent years. Bioretention cells have been effective in retaining large volumes of runoff and pollutants on site, and consistently reduced concentrations of certain pollutants such as metals. However, retention of certain pollutants such as nitrate–nitrogen and phosphorus has been problematic. Porous pavements have been extremely effective in infiltrating stormwater runoff. Concerns have been raised about groundwater contamination, but research has shown that this is not a problem in most settings. Green roofs have been found to retain a large percentage of rainfall (63% on average) in a variety of climates. A common thread across bioretention, green roofs and grassed swales was found: the export of phosphorus. The issue appears to be linked to high phosphorus levels in the soil media, or possibly to fertilization of turf or planted areas. Solutions to this problem have been recommended. Contrary to popular belief, research has shown that bioretention and pervious pavements continue to infiltrate even with frost in the ground. Although issues have been identified with retention of certain pollutants, the LID approach has been found to result in increased retention of stormwater and pollutants on site, mimicking pre-development hydrologic function. Future research needs have also been identified.
1,092 citations
TL;DR: A comprehensive evaluation system to quantify the benefits of different combinations of LID units using the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method is developed and can be applied to optimal selection and performance effect evaluation of Lid practices in other sponge city projects.
242 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the capability of vegetated highway medians for treating storm water runoff in the Austin, Tex. area, and two medians on major highways were monitored to document pollutant removal efficiencies.
Abstract: Vegetative storm water controls include grassed swales and vegetated filter strips. The effectiveness of these controls for removing pollutants found in runoff from highways and other urban areas has not been demonstrated to the satisfaction of regulatory agencies; therefore, these technologies have been limited to applications as pretreatment devices for other structural runoff controls. Many highways in Texas and other areas discharge storm water to grassy medians and shoulder areas, which act as both filter strips and grassed swales. The runoff flows overland down the sides of the median as in a filter strip and then parallel to the highway as in a grassed swale. This study investigated the capability of vegetated highway medians for treating storm water runoff in the Austin, Tex. area. Two medians on major highways were monitored to document pollutant removal efficiencies. The medians were designed solely for storm water conveyance and differed in slope and vegetation type. In addition, the highways a...
224 citations
TL;DR: Sedimentation and filtration within the grass layer are the primary mechanisms of pollutant treatment; correspondingly, particles and particulate-bound pollutants show the greatest removal via swales.
178 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors compared the effect of nine bioretention swales and nine corresponding green spaces in the Melbourne area on urban biodiversity and found that the number of species, species richness and diversity were higher in Bioretention Swales than in gardenbed and lawn-type green spaces, respectively.
146 citations
Related Topics (5)
Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 15 |
| 2024 | 22 |
| 2023 | 36 |
| 2022 | 65 |
| 2021 | 13 |
| 2020 | 20 |