BIORETENTION AT RIVER RUN PARK IN ENGLEWOOD

In 2015, Mile High Flood District (MHFD) partnered with the City of Englewood and the City of Sheridan to construct and monitor a new bioretention basin at River Run Park adjacent to the South Platte River and Broken Tee Golf Course. The bioretention basin collects and treats stormwater runoff from 8.6 acres, including a trailhead access area with public restrooms, a covered seating area, and a parking lot.

The basin cleans stormwater, provides public education about stormwater quality, and provides habitat for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. MHFD conducts monitoring at the site, including water quality of the influent and effluent, rainfall depth, runoff flow and volume, infiltration rates, vegetation health, and maintenance activities. Maintenance activities include removal and disposal of sediment and debris from the forebay and near the facility’s entrance plus vegetation management activities to remove weeds and other undesired plant species. Student interns conduct infiltration tests of the bioretention media.

The bioretention media mix, also called growing media or engineered soil, at this facility reflects the 2015 update to the USDCM and is sandier than previously specified mixes. This facility also has accurate flow measurement devices to better measure the peak rates of runoff and total volume entering the facility and refrigerated automatic samplers to enable E. coli sampling. MHFD submits all water quality data to the International Stormwater BMP database.

River Run Before-and-After Vegetation