Edgewood Open Space and Equestrian Arena

Project Description

Edgewood Open Space is a new equestrian park for the community of Edgewood, New Mexico. Working with Surroundings Studio, Biohabitats provided civil engineering, including the design of innovative stormwater management features and potable water infrastructure for the park. Situated on a wildland hillside with sparse native vegetation and potentially erodible soil, the stormwater features, based on permaculture techniques appropriate for the local landscape and climate, retain runoff and minimize erosion from the hillside above as well as from the new parking areas and horse arena structure.

The stormwater system uses tree berms, ‘media luna’ rock structures, rock check dams, a series of swales, biofiltration basins, cobble flow dissipaters, and a sand seepage berm to slow, spread, and infiltrate water from storm events. Biohabitats was able to avoid the use of a large storm water pond on the sensitive site with the use of these dispersed landscape features. All of these structures functioned well and remained stable during major, high intensity storm events in the first rainy season following construction.

The team minimized removal of existing native vegetation and used native plant species in the biofiltration areas and other landscape to reduce the impact on the native landscape and maintain the site’s rural, high desert character.