Bioswale
Established in 2019 at Kent Island High School, this bioswale treats polluted runoff from the adjacent bus parking lot using native perennials and shrubs to capture sediment, remove pollutants, and prevent erosion. It also creates essential habitat for pollinators and birds, transforming a former drainage ditch into a thriving ecological asset through continued maintenance and native replanting.
The Problem
This ditch forms a direct conduit between the parking lot and the Chesapeake Bay. Rainwater washing across the lot collects pollutants and carries them into the stormwater retention pond, and over time, the force of that flow has begun eroding the channel between them, threatening the health of the surrounding ecosystem.
To address this, we propose a bioswale garden, a living landscape that slows, spreads, and sinks runoff into an absorbent basin, breaking the flow's erosive force. It also acts as a natural filter, capturing parking lot pollutants before they reach the retention pond and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay.
This bioswale captures runoff, filters pollutants, and halts erosion before they reach the Bay, while creating habitat for native wildlife and pollinators. By allowing water to sink into the ground within days, it also eliminates the stagnant pools that breed mosquitoes, benefiting the entire community.
Run Off Issue
Site Location
Bioswale Demensions
Plant Layout
Budget
Instilation
Plants
Final Product
Caring for the Watershed Grant Presentation (2019)
Recieved 2nd place
Deanna Jacobs and Charlotte Zeitlin of the Kent Island High School Environmental Club propose a bioswale garden to filter polluted runoff from the school parking lot. Eleven native species will slow, spread, and sink rainwater, reducing pollutants, preventing erosion, and creating pollinator habitat. The $1,268.41 project also offers cross-disciplinary learning opportunities in science, art, and language classes.
Youth Environmental Action Summit (2019)
Co-presented with ShoreRivers' Suzanne Sullivan, this talk outlines a student-led initiative at Kent Island High School to reduce stormwater runoff through a bioswale designed to slow, sink, and spread erosive drainage. The project addresses impervious surface runoff and nutrient pollution threatening the Chesapeake Bay, highlighting youth advocacy, grant funding, and partnerships with regional environmental organizations.
Informational Sign
