Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan Sewer District
Davey Resource Group went above and beyond expectations while helming a 5-year contract with the Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan Sewer District to maintain two green infrastructure stormwater control measures in the city.
Project Narrative:
Runoff generated by rainfall or melting snow that flows from impervious surfaces such as roads or parking lots carries a wide variety of pollutants that can have a negative impact on nearby waterways. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists stormwater as a major reason why nearly half of all US waterways fail to meet national water quality standards. Large-scale green infrastructure can contribute numerous benefits to the solution of this problem by installing sustainable means to reduce runoff pollution and replicating natural systems to increase climate resiliency from heavy rain events, turning water from a waste into a resource.
In 2021, Davey Resource Group (DRG) began work on a five-year renewable and maintenance contract with the Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan Sewer District (GCMSD) to maintain the functional integrity and aesthetic value of two separate green infrastructure stormwater control measures in the City of Cincinnati.
These services included both spring and fall cleanups, installation of mulch and stone, advanced pruning services, installation of native plant material, and turf maintenance services. Davey Commercial Landscape Services provided turf management and landscape maintenance services. DRG field staff and our partners Groundwork Ohio River Valley, a Cincinnati based non-profit that provides job training skills for at-risk tennagers and young adults, made frequent maintenance visits to each site each month to ensure each site was properly maintained throughout the year. During each site visit, a DRG site manager would document each activity to provide a record of maintenance.
DRG went above and beyond client expectations. DRG effectively managed the project budget to provide unique and realistic solutions to maintain and also improve each site’s aesthetic value and functionality. During spring cleanup activities, DRG replaced the traditional shredded mulch at the North Fairmount basin with fourteen tons of stone mulch. This stone mulch is less likely to erode during heavy rain events and doesn’t need to be replaced annually, cutting maintenance costs in the coming years. During fall maintenance activities at the North Fairmount site, DRG field staff replaced dead plant material with new native vegetation to increase evapotranspiration to reduce stormwater runoff.
As with any piece of stormwater infrastructure, preventive maintenance activities are largely dictated by the drainage area it sits in. Because of heavy road construction around the ODOT/Mitchell basin, an excessive amount of sediment was threatening to enter the system and prematurely clog it. By efficiently managing the project budget and effectively scheduling maintenance visits, DRG was able to excavate the sediment from the concrete channel and rip rap before entering the basin and clogging the system.
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