8/5/2020 Stormwater Management - Grassed Swales

Lake Superior Communities

Understanding
The Streams
Citizens and Schools
Stormwater Management

Stormwater Management Stormwater Plan In ow and In ltration

Regional Stormwater Protection Team Site Design Toolkit

SITE DESIGN TOOLKIT Grassed Swales

SITE EVALUATION
A grassed swale is a
Land Use / graded and engineered
Stormwater landscape feature
Planning Tools appearing as a linear, shallow, open
Economic Aspects channel with trapezoidal or
parabolic shape. The swale is
TOOLS FOR
STORMWATER vegetated with ood tolerant, erosion resistant plants.
MANAGEMENT
The design of grassed swales promotes the conveyance of storm water
Rain Gardens at a slower, controlled rate and acts as a lter medium removing
Grassed Swales pollutants and allowing stormwater in ltration.
Pervious Pavement
When properly designed to accommodate a predetermined storm event
Parking Lot Filter
volume, a grassed swale results in a signi cant improvement over the
Strips
traditional drainage ditch in both slowing and cleaning of water.
Bioretention Basins
Underground In swales, stormwater is slowed by strategic placement of check-dams [
Storage 446 KB pdf le], new window] that encourage ponding and these
Green Roofs ponds in turn facilitates water quality improvements through in ltration,
Rain Barrels ltration and sedimentary deposition. Collected stormwater is expected
Stream Buffers to drain away through the soil within several hours or days.
Assessing BMPs
(exit)

LOCAL CASE
STUDIES

Index to Case
Studies

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Low Impact
Development
Guided Tour
Brochure (pdf)
Stormwater
Features on UMD
Campus (pdf)

POLICY

Community
Planning
Model Ordinances

EDUCATION Grass Swale with Check Dams.

Note signi cant channel storage capacity created by check dams.
UMN Stormwater
Notched center allows safe over ow without scour around sides.
Education Program
(image from Virginia Stormwater Management Program
CONTRACTOR
TRAINING Here are some additional examples of grassed swales and check dams.

Continuing
Education
Erosion & Sediment
Applications
Control Grassed Swales are an appropriate stormwater management practice for
Winter Parking Lot most regions of North America. Swales are a low cost low maintenance
Maintenance option to remove sediments, nutrients and pollutants. They increase
Ditch Maintenance stormwater in ltration and add a visually aesthetic component to a site.
Guide
Maintaining Establishment of grassed swales is a potential solution wherever
Roadside Ditches stormwater needs to be transported from impervious surfaces, slowed
(exit) down and allowed to in ltrate into soils.

RESOURCES Exceptions to their use are in desert like areas where irrigation would be
required for long-term maintenance and in colder regions with permafrost
where in ltration is minimal.

In northern climates without permafrost, design and maintenance

requirements should be modi ed with respect to a shorter growing
season, management of meltwater and depth of frost in soil (see details
in section on Tips and Wisdom).

Typically grassed swales are used as an environmentally preferential

solution or sometimes as an enhancement to the more traditional curb
and gutter based storm sewer system. The linear structure of swales
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favors their use in the treatment of runoff from highways, residential

roadways and common areas in residential sub-divisions, along property
boundaries and in and around parking lots.

From: Puget Sound, WA Action Team

Generally grassed swales are used to treat relatively small drainage areas
of ve acres or less. In highly urbanized areas or other highly impervious
areas grass swales are not recommended unless constructed in series or
function as pretreatment for other stormwater management practices.

Advantages of correctly designed grassed swales:

Dry Swales
Trap and remove sediments and other pollutants and thus
improve water quality.
Reduce peak runoff velocity and promote in ltration.
Reduce erosion.
Provide for some groundwater recharge if correctly designed.
Are favored for use for treating highway and residential road
runoff because of their linear structure. Good to use in
replacement of existing drainage ditches.
Are best if used in low to moderate density developments.

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Are useful as a means of disrupting impervious pavement in

parking areas.
Has ponding of water for only a short time with little increase
in water temperature thus useful in watersheds containing
cold-water trout streams. 
Are less expensive to build and maintain (easy to mow) than a
traditional curb and gutter system.

Wet Swales
Function as a linear wetlands
Reduce peak ows and runoff velocity and promote
in ltration.
Reduce erosion.
Are easy to design. Can be built in relatively impervious soils
or in seasonally saturated soils or intersecting water table
Trap and remove sediments and other pollutants with
increased e ciency and thus improve water quality.
Create visually appealing and bene cial habitat between
uplands and surface waters
Are less expensive to build and maintain than a traditional
curb and gutter system
Provide effective pretreatment of stormwater passing through
for further processing by additional stormwater management
practices.

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From: MPCA stormwater manual 2005 [ 1.7 MB]

-click image to enlarge-

Examples
   

Materials and Installation

1. The successful, properly functioning grassed swale is dependant
on good engineering design.
Refer to the State of Minnesota Stormwater Manual - 2005,
Chapter 12-7: In ltration Practice Guidance [ 1.2 MB] to
nd an excellent discussion on siting and engineering design
of in ltration Best Management Practices in Minnesota.
2. Geo-technical testing of soil is recommended to establish soil
porosity and identi cation of location of close-to-surface bedrock
outcrops that may require re-location of swale.
3. Be certain that local authorities have been approached for:
An understanding of requirements (Some cities have
manuals or fact sheets available)
Permits and inspections required
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4. Siting and Design

A suggested design process [ 2.7 MB] includes the
following steps:
Compute water quality treatment volume (WQV) for
surfaces to be treated as required by local authorities
and/or permitting agencies
Determine the swales dimensions ( bottom width,
depth, length and slope) required to store the WQV in a
shallow ponding depth (18” maximum depth)
Compute the WQV drawdown time to ensure it is less
than 24 hours
Compute the 2 and 10 year frequency storm event peak
discharges
Check the 2 year storm velocity for potential to cause
erosion, adjust swale geometry if necessary and
reevaluate WQV design parameters
Check the 10 year storm for depth and velocity, adjust
swale geometry if necessary and reevaluate WQV and 2
year design parameters
Provide minimum of 6” freeboard (height of channel
sides above water surface) above 10 year stormwater
surface pro le
A reference to nd needed design calculations is: Design of
Stormwater Filtering Systems (1996) by Claytor and Schueler;
Center for Watershed Protection and Chesapeake Bay
Research Consortium; Ellicott City and Solomons, MD.
Additional references to help understand complexities of
design can be found in a number of municipal, state and non-
governmental organizations who provide Best Stormwater
Management information. These are offered only as a means
of emphasizing and con rming the complexity of national
stormwater in ltration issues and that requirements are
typical throughout the nation.
To slow water ow in order to prohibit erosion of swale,
check dams may have to be designed and added to grassed
swales. Check dams not only slow water velocity but
encourage ponding of water on the upstream side of each

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dam, hereby encouraging in ltration of stormwater; their

design criteria:
Should be a maximum of 18 inches in height and height
should not exceed half the height of swale bank.
Spacing will depend on both the longitudinal slope of
the swale and height of swale combining to provide
desired WQV behind the dams.
Anchoring of dams is necessary to prevent washout.
Each side of the dam needs to extend two – three feet
into the swale wall on both sides.
The downstream side of check dams need to be
protected from scour with su ciently sized rip rap
placed over geotechnical fabric.
Check dams should be notched at their top to allow
passage of two year design storm and a six inch
freeboard to the top of the swale to handle a 10 year
design storm.
Check dams can be made from wood (pressure treated
6”x 6” or 8”x 8” or water resistant logs e.g. cedar)
placed on top of a rock base. Concrete, gabions or rip
rap (su ciently sized to withstand ow of water) are
used successfully also. [view images]
Additional design considerations for structural components
of Grassed swales:
At the point of in ow into the swale a pretreatment and
sediment collection forebay can be designed. It should
be able to contain 25% of the WQV. The installation of a
rip rap pretreatment area contained by a check dam
built on a stone base will serve the required function.
[view image]
At the end of a dry grassed swale the installation of a
check dam can be combined with a pea gravel lled
basin that leads excessive water to the underdrain
system. Output from this underdrain must be managed.
Culverts can be used to maintain swale connectivity where a
road is planned to cross the swale. The culvert must be sized
su ciently large to accept the swales design ow for the10

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year storm. Rip rap should be placed at the culvert entrance

to reduce erosion.
In cold climates culverts should have a minimum
diameter of 18 inches and a minimum slope of one
percent to help keep water moving and prevent
blockages.
Wintertime maintenance is a must-do to avoid potential
ooding. In areas that exceed frost depths greater than
ve feet and/or snow depths over eight feet need to
posses a portable steamer to clear blocked culverts.
5. Construction
Accurate grading is essential to construction of a properly
functioning grassed swale.
Machinery used for excavation and grading should not be
driven over the swale site since compaction of soil is likely to
occur.
The swale site should be protected from storm water runoff
that will cause erosion and sedimentation during
construction. Final grading and planting should not occur
until the adjoining areas draining into the swale are stabilized.
Any accumulation of sediments that does occur must be
removed during the nal stages of grading.
In dry swales the bottom should be tilled to produce a highly
porous surface.
Installation of erosion control matting or blanketing to
stabilize soil during establishment of vegetation is highly
recommended.
In colder climates with short growing seasons (less
than 5 months) the desired level of establishment of
vegetation may take two to three growing seasons.
Careful maintenance of erosion control practices must
continue for the duration.
6. Vegetation Selection and Planting
Type of vegetation selected must take into account:
Soils conditions.
Climate – plants have to be su ciently hardy to
withstand the most extreme conditions to occur in the
local region.
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Topography- vegetation must be able to withstand

forces created by owing water.
Available sunlight
Selected vegetation must meet the following criteria:
Have a deep root system or form dense sod to resist
scouring.
Be vigorous growers.
Have a high stem density to help slow water and
facilitate sedimentation.
Be tolerant to ooding and be able to survive and
continue to grow after the inundation period. Water
velocities associated with a two year design storm
should not scour out planted materials nor should
plants leaves matted down by water (will reduce
amount of sediment removal).  
If to be used near a road the plants must also be salt
tolerant.
Contact local area horticulturist and specialists in native
plantings for recommended species used in grassed swales.
Refer to published lists [ 75 KB] of salt tolerant plants from
a variety of habitats that are suitable for both dry and wet
swales constructed in northern climes. For additional
information on plant salt tolerance and plants useful in cold
climates see Appendix E [ 2.2 MB] in the Minnesota
Stormwater Manual (2005).
Some commonly used grasses for dry swales are:
Park grade Kentucky bluegrass or fescue or Creeping
bentgrass(If regularly mowed)
Native grasses – switchgrass, big bluestem, little
bluestem, Indian grass or side-oats grama (typically
mowed seasonally). Their use will increase diversity of
animals and their extensive root systems promote
drought tolerance and better ltration. On the negative
side the swale will take a longer time to become
established. The use of cover crops and/or soil
stabilization techniques will be required.
A mixture of native grasses can be visually appealing
and provide variety of texture and color throughout the
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seasons.
Do not use  invasive species like reed canary grass.
Planting can be accomplished by the use of sod or by
seeding (preferably hydro-seeding [ 240 KB]).
Soil preparation includes:
Prepare top three inches of soil to provide su cient
aeration to allow rapid root growth.
Add appropriate types of fertilizer and apply at
prescribed rate to encourage rapid growth.
Sod rolls are laid perpendicular to slope to assist in
erosion control. Sod edges should butt against each
other and vertical joints staggered (look like a brick
wall). [view image]
The laid sod should then be inspected for gaps  and
foreign materials then rolled to ensure root surfaces are
in contact with soil.
Installation of erosion control matting is strongly
encouraged until vegetation is well established.
Water well at least two to three times in the rst few
weeks.
Well established sod can be identi ed by grasping laid
sod and tugging upwards. If the sod layer does not pull
away from the soil layer then the sod can be considered
well established, this should take two to three weeks.
With hydro-seeding a well established vegetation mat
will take longer to develop and depend on weather
conditions and frequency of watering.
7. Maintenance
Proper maintenance of grassed swales is essential. A
maintenance contract with required maintenance steps
delineated has been a successful approach.
A recommended program would involve the following:
Mowing of dried swales as required seasonally to
maintain the desired height of vegetation at three to
four inches. Mowing grass too short and incorrectly
applying lawn chemicals will jeopardize function.
At least once a year and more often if required:
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Inspection for erosion. Any obvious damage to

grass or to the swales bottom soil bed should be
repaired immediately. Seeded swales will require
periodic re-seeding. Repairs need to conform to
original swale design.
Remove trash and other debris from all parts of
the swale.
If selected grass for swale is not performing
select and plant a new grass.
For wet swales replant with a revised selection of
wetland plants if current plants are establishing
slowly or failing.
On as needed basis:
Till soil at swales bottom if water does not drain
out within 48 hours (swales should drain within 24
hours).
Remove sediment build up when the swales
volume is reduced by 25 percent.
In colder climates after spring snow melt:
Any collected sand from winter time sanding must
be removed.
Replacement of damaged vegetation should
occur as soon as possible.
Additions of mulch (added organic matter) may
be required if drainage to swale is from roadway
or parking lot. Deicing salts can damage soil
structure by reducing soils organic matter.
Maintenance responsibility is normally that of the owner.
8. Cost
Swales are a relatively cheap alternative to curb and gutter
treatment. Swale maintenance is more frequently required
but these costs are considerably cheaper than for curb and
gutter systems maintenance.
Swale construction costs have not been well studied. Costs
will differ regionally and with site conditions. A best estimate
has been made of $0.50 per square foot (2002 dollars). An

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undated estimate (no older than 2000) suggests a value of

$5.50 per cubic foot of storage provided.

Suggested References: Guidebooks,

websites and pamphlets
[ = pdf le; it will be opened in a new window]

1. The Urban Small Sites Best Management Practices (BMP)

Manual (2003) by the Metropolitan Council of Minnesota’s Twin
Cities offers detailed information on 40 BMPs for stormwater
pollution management in a cold-climate setting.
Download their information on dry swales [ 2.7 MB] and wet
swales [ 1.9 MB].
2. Post-Construction Storm Water Management in New
Development & Redevelopment – Grassed Swales (2002) by
the USEPA; a good review of Grassed Swale knowledge and
practices. A well done summary of the effectiveness of Grassed
Swales as pollutant removal systems. Strong reference section for
pursuit by the more curious.
3. Virginia Stormwater Management Handbook (1999) produced
by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation; an
example of a very detailed stormwater management (BMP)
manual. Strong on engineering and construction detail. Also a
useful collection of images depicting grassed swales; nd
minimum standards for grassed swales in Chapter 3 [ 741 KB].
4. State of Minnesota Stormwater Manual-2005 is a valuable tool
for stormwater managers. The manual provides details on
stormwater management practices applicable to Minnesota that
conserves, enhances, and restores high-quality water in our lakes,
rivers, streams, wetlands, and ground water.
Go to the chapter on Infiltration Practices [ 1.2 MB],
Appendix D-6: Infiltration Practices CADD Details [ 1.5 MB]
and
Appendix E: Minnesota Plant List and Application [ 2.2 MB]
for details that apply to Grassed Swales.

Tips and Wisdom

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Grassed swales have minimal ‘hard structure’ to be impacted by freeze

conditions and snow and therefore a useful Best Management Practice.
Suggested cold climate adjustments deal with frost depth, snow
meltwater volume and a shortened growing season; considerations
include:

Plowing adjoining areas after snowfall must be carried out in a

judicious manner to prevent damage to the swale’s edge structure
and subsequent erosion. A modest set back and ag marking of
the swale are measures that can help. 
Providing for a ve foot setback to prevent frost heave of roads
and parking lots in climate zones where frost depth exceeds ve
feet and soils are clay or silt structure.
Do not use grassed swales in areas of permafrost.
Salt tolerant plants must be chosen for swales placed along
roadways.
Short growing seasons are typical of colder climates. Two seasons
may be required for establishment of vegetation. During this period
erosion control practices such as mats or blankets must protect
swale structure.
Grassed swales can be used for snow storage and are important in
reducing snow melt peak ows through in ltration and in treating
most pollutants associated with snow. However, extra
maintenance will be required to deal with the sand and de-icing
compounds used on roadways and parking lots:
If swales are to be used for snow storage, plant selections
must be salt tolerant.

Limitations
Grassed swales are not recommended for large drainage areas.
Grassed swales are a cheap alternative to curbs and gutters;
however their e cacy is dependant on careful design and
construction, a thoughtful selection of plants as well as provision
of dependable maintenance over time. Badly designed grass
swales will not remove signi cant quantities of pollutants.

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If vegetation is not su ciently established the swale will not

function.
Given the importance of design and construction, selection of
engineering services and a construction company should be based
on proven, successful past experience with swales and
recommendations from past clients who have had swales
installed.
Wet swales should not be used in high density residential areas
because of potential for mosquito generation and smells.
Grassed swales are not the best management practice for:
Ultra urban areas because the areas of pervious surfaces
required for swale development are usually unavailable.
Stormwater hot spots where land use will generate
stormwater with high levels of contaminants. Good examples
of hot spots would be gas stations and convenience stores.
In cold weather climates, adjustments to design and maintenance
must occur to deal with high snow loads and signi cant frost
depths.

For more information contact:

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