Hardwood Hammock Bioswales

The Hallandale Beach Rockland Hardwood Hammock Bioswale was completed in 2019 on a minimal $20,000 grant to implement the city’s first green infrastructure demonstration project. The goal of the project is to educate residents and members of the business community on techniques to improve water quality through green infrastructure. Hallandale Beach is a Broward County coastal community bordered on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and the west by the Everglades, and has approximately 4.4 square miles of dense urban development that has denuded ecological services. The green infrastructure demonstration project consists of the creation of a Rockland Harwood Hammock Bioswale. Rockland hammocks are tropical hardwood forests and the extent of this ecosystem has been greatly reduced in Florida over the past 50 years. Hammocks are ideal for urban areas because they can be created almost anywhere in the built environment, from residential yards, to small spaces between condominium buildings, to roadside swales. An environmental benefit of this project is to help reduce flooding by slowing the movement of rainwater. Potential pollutants from the stormwater runoff are filtered out before they can harm aquatic habitats or deter economic activities. This project also enhances the aesthetic appeal of the neighborhood. Located at 111 Foster Road, the site is surrounded by residential homes (single and multi-family), small businesses, churches, and schools. It is a less than five-minute walk to two municipal parks. Tree canopy is insufficient in the area and urban heat island is a problem, especially in enabling walkable urbanism. Many of the residents living close to the project are of Caribbean descent. The Hammock incorporates ethnobotanically significant vegetation that is relevant to the customs of residents. All plants and trees selected are native and well suited to the soil type and coastal environment.