Vegetated Filter Strips

Grassed swale

Bioretention area

Vegetated filter strips are vegetated surfaces that are designed to treat sheet flow from adjacent surfaces. Filter strips function by slowing runoff velocities and filtering out sediment and other pollutants, and by providing some infiltration into underlying soils.

Filter strips planted within and around paved parking areas will allow diversion of stormwaters and snow melt to filter through the ground and not directly flowing contaminats into stormwater drains.

Several of these types of strips can be planted in a parking lot or area shown here to absorb the runoff from this type of development need. This can help mitigate the runoff that impervious surfaces create without a great loss of parking spaces.

Another added benefit to these filter strips are that they filter, store and infiltrate in to the ground by native plants and soils. These areas are desigend to drain in 24-hours, with no risk of standing water and the breeding of mosquitoes. They also offer an added aesthetic beneift of added nature to areas of ashalt and concrete.

If you would like to distribute information for your community, organization or municipality on the benefits of LID check out our LID newsletter at http://www.swmpc.org/lid.asp

This page last updated on 8/13/2007.

	Southwest Michigan Planning Commission 185 East Main Street Suite 701 Benton Harbor, MI 49022 Phone: 269.925.1137 Fax: 269.925.0288 Email: swmpc@swmpc.org