Bioretention systems and green assets bridge the gap between natural systems and stormwater infrastructure – these vibrant planted areas enhance our urban landscape by improving water quality outcomes and drainage capabilities.
A well-maintained bioretention system is a sustainable and aesthetic approach to stormwater treatment – well-mulched with a flourishing growth media full of healthy plants. These systems provide environmental benefits and amenity gains for your local community, but their upkeep through routine maintenance schedules is essential.
Green assets have versatile capabilities for filtration, remediation and biological processes that remove pollutants from stormwater. Media that performs to specification helps to sustain suitable plant species, and this vegetation helps to control and treat stormwater flows.
Bioretention systems add value to our local communities and foster green development and sustainability. Providing extended detention capabilities, they also ensure resiliency to flash flooding by allowing stormwater to ‘soak’ – known as infiltration.
Why is Bioretention Maintenance Important?
Maintenance is imperative to ensuring the service life of your bioretention systems. For local communities, councils and strata bodies, a well-maintained bioretention system will continue to increase property values, while retaining the treatment qualities that protect nearby environments and keep our waterways healthy.
Bioretention systems have multiple media layers, including mulch, biofiltration media, and drainage. These layers support plant growth and hydraulic specifications – such as infiltration and flow rate.
These layers all need regular assessment. Without routine maintenance, these systems risk costly failure, which results in serious issues, such as poor plant health and barren media layers to blocked drainage and ponding.
The Cost of Failing to Maintain Green Assets
A failed bioretention can be costly to restore – with media replacement, replanting and drainage issues all requiring remedial works for rectification. Often, this is far more costly than routine maintenance, which allows for preventive measures to stop system failure and ongoing damage from occurring.
By solving these problems early, we can continue to protect other nearby stormwater assets and local waterways.
For example, persistent ponding may occur if water level issues in a bioretention system are unresolved – which can lead to plant failure, damage to the growth media, and create a breeding ground for insects. Not only is the cost of fixing the drainage or unblocking sediment bays incurred, but the growth media and plants may also require replacement.
Failures of bioretention systems can result in safety concerns for strata residents and cause complex issues downstream.
Atlan Stormwater offers a full range of maintenance services for stormwater assets. We can also help you to audit your systems and provide scheduled routine maintenance – which minimises cost across your asset’s service life and provides cost-benefits to rebuilding damaged or failed systems.
