What is a Bioretention Swale?
Bioretention systems are stormwater best management practices (BMP’s) that use filtration to treat stormwater runoff. Bioretention systems are modeled after the biological and physical characteristics of an upland terrestrial forest or meadow ecosystem. These systems use vegetation, such as trees, shrubs, and grasses, to remove pollutants from stormwater runoff. Sources of runoff are diverted into bioretention systems directly as overland flow or through a stormwater drainage system. Alternatively, a bioretention system can be constructed directly in a drainage channel or swale.
