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Vegetated Swales
Swales are vegetated areas used in place of curbs or paved gutters to transport stormwater runoff. They also can temporarily hold small quantities of runoff and allow it to infiltrate into the soil. A vegetated swale may also be known as a grassed channel, dry swale, wet swale or biofilter.
Vegetated swales can serve as part of a stormwater drainage system and can replace kerbs, gutters and storm sewer systems. Swales are best suited for residential, industrial, and commercial areas with low flow and smaller populations.
Swales can have significant environmental benefits but they do have limitations. Swales can reduce peak flows, remove pollutants, and promote runoff infiltration, and they tend to have lower capital costs. However, vegetated swales are typically ineffective in, and vulnerable to, large storms, because high-velocity flows can erode the vegetated cover.
While swales are generally used as a stand-alone stormwater Best Management Practice (BMP), they are most effective when used in conjunction with other BMPs, such as wet ponds, infiltration strips, and wetlands.
New research
Recent Publications
R Simcock, J Zanders, D Worthy, J Dando, D Thornburrow, R McLaren, M Mcleod, K Daysh, A Taylor, J Claydon . 2005.
Use the right soil to get the stormwater treatment you want.
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Trowsdale SA. 2004. Assessing the contaminant load in urban runoff - a case study using MUSIC. Proc.Stormwater 2004, NZ. Water & Wastes Assoc., 6-7 May 2004, Rotorua.
Links
New Zealand
- Waitakere City Development Services Information Leaflet – swales
- Waitakere City stormwater solutions for residential sites
International
- Fact sheet on swales from USEPA
- Managing stormwater – BMP's – vegetated swales
- Stormwater Managers Resource Centre
- Stormwater – The journal for surface water quality professionals
- Stormwater resources
- USEPA National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
- USEPA NPDES BMP's
- Urban Land Institute
Primary Contact
 | Robyn Simcock Email  |
Landcare Research | |
Phone: +64 9 574 4100 | |
| Details: Robyn Simcock |
