Eight New Bioswales

It is an exciting time for us at the Lake Agawam Conservancy: there will be beautiful new bioswales all over Southampton Village. Thanks to the Village of Southampton Board of Trustees, the Conservancy is now the steward of eight bioswales throughout the Village. Some of these bioswales have already been planted and others will be planted soon. As many of you know, Lake Agawam Conservancy has advocated for the Village to install bioswales, which are like sinks with plantings that intercept stormwater and filter out pathogens, metals, oils, and other noxious chemicals before they reach the Lake. With grant funding, local leadership, and the generosity of our members, the bioswales are now underway!

Each one of the bioswales plays a unique role in cleaning up water before it enters Lake Agawam or its adjacent Village ponds. When it rains, these sites gather water and their plants absorb polluting nutrients including nitrogen and phosphorus, the two elements that are most responsible for blue green algae formation in Lake Agawam. By removing nutrients before rainwater enters local water bodies, bioswales play a pivotal role in improving our water quality.

Here are the eight new sites that the Lake Agawam Conservancy now stewards:

1. Gin Lane Bioswale: Installed in 2023, this 1,967 square foot bioswale catches rainwater along Gin Lane from the intersection with South Main Street before it reaches Lake Agawam. Within the year since its installation, it has developed severe amounts of knotweed. The Conservancy will remove the knotweed and reinstall plants in the bioswale.

2. Old Town Pond Bioswale: Another bioswale installed in 2023, this site features multiple bioswales with one at the southern end of Old Town Pond and multiple, including wetlands, at the northern end of the Pond. In the future, the Village of Southampton will also install multiple rain gardens along Old Town Road, Old Town Crossing, and Wickapogue Road—all located in the watershed of Old Town Pond.

3. West Main Street Bioswale: This bioswale brings life to the previously neglected divider between segments in the Village’s main parking lot. The whole lot was redone in early 2024 with four objectives: the reduction of impervious surfaces, construction of bioswales to reduce runoff pollution, increase storm water storage capacity with additional leaching structures, and the addition of a tree trench on the western end of the existing parking lot. The result will be gorgeous flowering gardens in front of every car.

4. Windmill Lane (Nugent Street) Bioswale: Installed at the end of 2023 at 71 Nugent Street, this bioswale will provide infiltration and treatment for water before it enters the Lake Agawam watershed. It will also reduce the amount of pollutants currently entering Lake Agawam through stormwater runoff.