Bay Village City Hall green parking lot improvements project

The Bay Village City Hall parking lot has been renovated to better manage storm water runoff, including a 3,600-square-foot bio-retention swale. Photo by Tara Wendell

In spring of 2016, the City of Bay Village completed renovations to the existing City Hall parking lot. The project was intended to reduce rain water run‐off and reduce pollutants such as salt, oils, suspended solids and metals from entering into the storm sewer system that impact aquatic life in Cahoon Creek and Lake Erie, while educating the residents and visitors to Bay Village about viable, sustainable storm water management alternatives.

This project was supported and financed in part through a grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) under the provisions of the Surface Water Improvement Fund (SWIF). The City received $120,000 to be used toward these improvements as part of the SWIF Grant.

The improvements include key storm water management features to help achieve the goal of improving the environmental impact the existing parking lot has on our creeks and Lake Erie. These features include:

Pavement Reduction


The goal of reducing rain water run‐off is best met by reducing the impervious surface area, such as asphalt and concrete, and increasing ground infiltration through green space and permeable pavers. The one‐way traffic configuration of the parking lot allows for reduced aisle width. Replacing some of the impervious surface with pervious surfaces reduces run‐off. The existing asphalt pavement area was reduced from approximately 26,300 square feet to 18,800 square feet, or an overall reduction of nearly 28 percent.

Bio‐retention


A bio‐retention swale is an area consisting of a graded depression of pervious materials, such as stone and mulch with vegetation. It allows shallow ponding of storm water run‐off and gradual percolation through soil media where it infiltrates through the underlying soils and is absorbed by plant material, evaporates, or enters into the storm sewer system through an underdrain system. Any overflow is directed into a basin that carries the excess water into the storm sewer system. The bio‐retention cell is planted with decorative trees and shrubs that will also help remove pollutants. The overall area of the bio‐retention cell is approximately 3,600 square feet. The bio‐retention cell also provides storm water detention to help reduce additional flow into the storm sewer system during heavy rain events.

Permeable Pavers


The area north of the parking lot includes the installation of new permeable pavers. This helps meet the goals of reducing the amount of existing impervious asphalt pavement, providing additional area for ground infiltration of rain water. The permeable pavers capture and retain rain water from the parking lot while removing pollutants before it is either absorbed into the natural subgrade or enters into the storm sewer system through an underdrain system. Pollutants are removed through the stone aggregate below the pavers. The lighter color of the pavers also helps reduce heat absorption, which in turn reduces the temperature of the rain run‐off. The area of asphalt replaced with the permeable pavers is approximately 3,900 square feet.

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Volume 8, Issue 14, Posted 3:46 PM, 05.17.2016