Why do I need a stormwater grassy swale?
When it rains, the rainwater can pick up debris, chemicals, dirt, and other pollutants and flow into a lake, stream, river, wetland, or aquifer. This runoff water is called stormwater and in urban landscapes, the great expanses of impermeable asphalt and concrete surfaces prevent the water from seeping into the ground. Untreated stormwater flows into the waterbodies we use for swimming, fishing and providing drinking water, and this polluted stormwater runoff can have many adverse effects on plants, fish, animals and people. The Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District has recognized the need to protect the lake and ground water from stormwater pollution and has adopted policies and guidelines for that purpose. Therefore, there are regulations within the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District and Spokane County to control stormwater pollution. Grassy swales, like vegetated swales, are depressions (collection areas) used to filter and infiltrate stormwater from roofs, parking lots, sidewalk
