Explanation
The Department of Public Utilities entered into a contract with Watershed Organic Lawn Care for the purpose of inspecting the performance of, and maintaining, the City’s bio-retention basins. The City of Columbus is committed to investing in green infrastructure. As part of this commitment, the City has built a number of bio-retention basins in the right-of-way and/or on City owned property.
Bio-retention basins are engineered, shallow depressions that treat stormwater runoff using pollutant removal mechanisms that function in natural ecosystems: settling, filtration, absorption, microbial breakdown and nutrient assimilation. Surface runoff is directed into the bio-retention area where it temporarily ponds before infiltrating through mulch and a soil media planted with vegetation. The infiltrated water percolates into soils and, if necessary, enters a perforated underdrain that discharges into a water body or storm drain system.
The City is currently responsible for the maintenance of 4 sites with 46 basins located in the Riversouth area of downtown and 16 sites with 36 basins/wetlands and 15 swales located at Griggs, O’Shaughnessy and Hoover reservoirs; the Idlewild Drive Basin and the American Addition Phase I site. Each site may have multiple basins, swales, or other types of green infrastructures. There is a need to modify and extend the contract for the addition of 38 more bio-basins/rain gardens in the Riversouth area, located in downtown Columbus. These 38 were being maintained by Lifestyle Community under an agreement with the City of Columbus, Transportation Division. The 38 basins are owned by the City of Columbus and are located in City of Columbus right-of-way, and maintenance will start January 1, 2017.
The Division of Sewerage and Drainage, Stormwater Section is currently waiting for approval to maintain another site where 34 bio-basins are located. Currently these basins are being maintained privately. Since we are n...
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