bioswale

American  

[bahy-oh-swayl] / ˈbaɪ oʊˌsweɪl /

noun

plural

bioswales

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

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Example Sentences

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

Among other complications, the builders avoided a buried water main, and must install a long drainage pipe, connected downhill into stormwater mains, instead of using a small roadside ravine as a cheaper bioswale.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 4, 2023

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