After spending $3 million on its "quarter-round" project to improve drainage, Sebastian 1½ years ago began using city workers to clean out swales. So far the program has proved effective.

Highway swales are ditches that collect and carry runoff during rainstorms, providing modest pollutant removal. Traditional turfgrass linings in swales are not effective in areas with shallow ...

Living Carol T. Bradford: Storm Water, Swales and Bioswales Published: Jul. 20, 2014, 9:31 a.m.

Swales collect rainwater, mitigate flooding, filter out pollutants, sediment and toxins, prevent erosion and provide a natural area for storm runoff. They must be maintained to function properly.

Many farmers and gardeners have heard the term bio-swale, but the exact definition—much less how and why to build one—is elusive for most. To get right to the point, a bio-swale is basically a fancy ...

Because in those fields at MacLennan Park at Cedar Crest are some historic ruts, or swales, made by the wheels of countless wagons traveling the Oregon Trail more than 150 years ago, Mauck said.