City adopts grass buffers for environmental health

The City of Hastings has adopted grass-growing practices on some of its property with a focus on environmental health.

When grass on City property is allowed to grow to between 12-inches and 24-inches in height this promotes deeper roots, and allows for more stormwater infiltration during rain events.  Allowing the grass to grow longer and decreasing mowing frequency will allow what are known as grass buffers to establish. Grass buffers can reduce localized flooding, reduce soil erosion, and improve downstream water quality.

Native Pollinator Sites and Urban Best Management Practices (BMPs) are ways that the City is working to promote water quality and natural aesthetics. Grass buffers and swales are just two examples of urban BMPs. Grass buffers and swales play a key role in water quality and low impact development, enabling infiltration and slowing runoff. Native grasses, such as buffalograss, grama grasses, Big and Little bluestem, and Indiangrass provide a more natural aesthetic and require less water once established. Bird enthusiasts know that many native grasses produce seeds that are an important local food source for songbirds.

The City’s Environmental Department created the native pollinator program in 2019 with the creation of the Hastings Community Solar Farm, which has an approximate 10-acre native pollinator habitat.  Following that, the City established native pollinator habitat around the Aquifer Storage and Recovery lagoon off of N. Baltimore Avenue. In 2021, the City partnered with Pheasants Forever and the Hastings Economic Development Council to establish native pollinator habitat over 21 acres of floodplain property that borders Osborne View Estates and Trail Ridge residential subdivisions. The City’s Streets, Parks, and Stormwater Management Departments created a few grass buffers with decreased mowing frequencies in 2021.

A few of those grass buffers can be observed at the following locations:

•                     Lake Hastings Silting Basin

•                     Drainage easements surrounding Lake Hastings

•                     Watercourse upstream of Lake Hastings (along N. Baltimore Avenue)

•                     Hastings Dog Park (S. Elm Avenue)

•                     Heartwell Lake influent drainage ditch (along East Side Boulevard)

An additional grass buffer along the concrete drainage channel of the Indian Acres, Crane Circle, and Colonial Estates Subdivisions is planned for 2022. This urban BMP comes as a recommendation from State Lakes Coordinator Michael Archer at the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy. Archer grew up in Hastings and performed a site visit at this drainage way in late February along with the City Streets Department and Stormwater Management Department. Archer recommends decreasing the mowing frequency and keeping the grass along the side slopes of this drainage course long.  This could help provide filtration and cleanse the urban and agricultural runoff that passes through the drainage way during large storm events. This best management practice is one of a handful of practices the City is implementing to improve water quality at Lake Hastings. Additional BMPs include custom installed sediment catching baskets in area storm sewer inlets.

Published Date: 03/29/2022

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