At ground level, Leavenworth Park may look like an ordinary city park with trees and green space to walk and relax on a summer day. However, an aerial view of the park shows a different perspective.

 

But an aerial view shows something unique.

 

"So really it’s not your run-of-the mill park anymore, it’s a beautiful city park in a dense urban environment that captures a tremendous amount of storm water just with the investment that we’ve made in building a perimeter all along the entire exterior of the park," said Matthew J. Millea, Deputy County Executive for Physical Services.

 

A new drainage system has been installed.

 

Bioswales are gently sloped drainage areas filled, in this case, with attractive vegetation designed to slow the water down, spread it out, and let it soak into the ground.

 

So instead of rain running along the roadway to a storm drain and sewer, it is diverted.

 

"And flows into the bioretention centers that we have and percolates into the ground and instead of going into the sewer system it goes into the water table," said Millea.