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| Cost issues | ||
| As self-contained parking lot rain
gardens are a fairly new design concept there are not many precedents
among which to make cost comparisons. However, initial indications
are that the cost/benefit ratio of these facilities is positive. Conventional
lots with catch basins and associated drainage systems can be costly.
In Robert Murase’s design for the parking lot at OMSI (see Case
Studies), the use of bioswales saved $78,000 compared to a conventional
design (Thompson, p. 183). This has allowed Murase’s office
to sell the bioswale concept to other clients, including the Water
Pollution Control Center in Portland, OR. As rain gardens are tested
further, more clients will most likely be well-disposed to these systems
based on cost alone.
For further information, contact: Jean Vollum at Natural Capital Center (Ecotrust) |
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