The Berteau Greenway was built to help calm speeding traffic on Berteau. Greenways are also bike paths and this one is part of Chicago’s newest 100 miles of bike path. Greenways include bump-outs that help with pedestrian safety by making crossing distance shorter and more protected, which is helpful everyone, and especially helpful to parents with children, seniors and anyone with a mobility or visual disability.
Bioswales are the plant area within the bump-outs. The bump-out receives stormwater, filters it through the plants, then releases it at the other end near the sewer grate. The plants absorb some of the stormwater and slow the rest as it flows to the sewer. This helps reduce stormwater that can reach and overwhelm a sewer and contribute to neighborhood street, basement and vehicle flooding.
We need your help to maintain our bioswale. Please email Terry at motordc@aol.com to help or learn more. He needs volunteers to help with maintenance a few times a year. Also, if you see litter in any bioswale anywhere, please pick it up.
You can additionally reduce neighborhood stormwater flooding by capturing stormwater where it falls and preventing it from needing to reach the sewer. Grass isn’t very absorptive. GWCA is encouraging all to add 100 s/f more of absorptive hardscape (permeable concrete, permeable pavers) or drought resistant native plants, grasses, shrubs and trees to their landscape for every 3,000 s/f of property, and to consider adding some green roof panels to flat roofs on homes, apartment buildings, condo buildings, schools, businesses and garages. Also, please don’t put or let landscapers put leaves or grass clippings in the street as that contributes to flooding.
Please enjoy our Beautiful, Verdant, and ECO neighborhood!
