Stormwater-basin retrofits improve water quality and habitat

About this project

client
City of St. Peters
location
Missouri
cost
$667,000
completion date
2015

Developers took a minimal approach to treating stormwater when designing the Ohmes Farm development. The City of St. Peters, however, wanted to improve the quality of stormwater runoff leaving the site and transform these “holes in the ground” to a natural space that residents could enjoy. Barr helped improve water quality by increasing the storage volume where possible and by incorporating iron-enhanced sand filter trenches along the path of water flow between the basins’ inlets and outlets. This allows for increased rate control and capture of dissolved phosphorus.

Because these basins occupy a primary view from residents’ backyards, Barr worked with the city to develop an aesthetically pleasing design that also creates wildlife habitat. By introducing native grasses and trees, songbirds will be able to nest and forage in the basins. Converting the turf grass to native grasses will reduce mowing frequency to once per year. In addition to basin-improvement design, we provided construction cost estimates and technical assistance during bidding and construction.

Key team members

Fred Rozumalski

Landscape Architect and Ecologist

Michelle Kimble

Senior Civil Engineer

Related Green infrastructure projects

Sustainable landscape master plan for Abbott Northwestern Hospital
O&M manual for green-infrastructure stormwater BMPs
Demonstration rainwater gardens reduce stormwater runoff