bioswale

American  

[bahy-oh-swayl] / ˈbaɪ oʊˌsweɪl /

noun

• bioswales
  plural

1. a channel, filled with vegetation, that collects and filters rainwater runoff.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bioswales
  plural

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bioswale bioswales

Filled with drought- and fire-resistant plantings while managing water with a bioswale system, it acts as a leisure spot and a place to harvest — some plants even provide dyes for arts activities below.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2025

Plans are brewing for a bioswale along South 223rd Street.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 8, 2022

Outside, a planted channel called a bioswale was designed to filter polluted storm water that gushes from a downspout on the bridge to a nearby lake where salmon swim.

From New York Times ● Jul. 14, 2020

A subterranean bioswale will filter silt and pollutants from rainwater.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 24, 2015

At the front of the school, there’s a bioswale, or what the design team calls a “rain garden.”

From Slate ● Dec. 25, 2014

A better solution, she says, is to build rain gardens and bioswales into cities—sunken areas filled with plants that are designed to absorb excess water.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

With rain gardens and bioswales increasingly being planted to manage more insistent runoff in a changing climate, this widespread species should get more play.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2023

In its place, they installed planters, bioswales and permeable pavement to help improve drainage and conserve water.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2023

Cities can also incorporate more green infrastructure, such as green roofs and bioswales to absorb stormwater and reduce the load on wastewater systems.

From Salon ● Sep. 10, 2021

There is a plan for upgrading storm water and sewage systems, and efforts to expand bioswales — plantings along streets that collect water — and porous surfaces.

From New York Times ● Jul. 9, 2021