Green Streets Infrastructure Maintenance

Crucial elements of an urban stormwater and water quality program receive expert maintenance to stay clean and functional.

As part of the City of Portland’s Watershed Management Plan, the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) has constructed over 2,500 unique Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) assets like bioswales; gardens between the street and the sidewalk that use plants and soil to filter and manage stormwater runoff before it enters the sewer system. As more assets are built, maintenance is required to keep them functioning properly, and BES sought additional assistance from Biohabitats’ crew of Restoration Field Technicians to maintain GSI assets through 2029.

Biohabitats’ GSI maintenance tasks include cleaning debris, leaves and sediment; plant pruning; weeding and invasives removal; planting; debris disposal; and irrigation. Work on larger assets includes blackberry thinning and removal, habitat structure construction, and tree and brush clearing. Biohabitats employs a crew of 4 full-time restoration technicians to do this work year-round. They are outfitted with the tools and equipment needed to keep this infrastructure performing as designed. During the dry summer months, Biohabitats scales up with an additional truck and crew to water GSI assets using a 500-gallon water tank.

TAGS

• Construction
• Resilient Water Systems