Retrofit a roadside bioswale in the Blackland clay in Waxahachie, site 6, a public road right of way bioswale or small detention feature in Waxahachie, TX 75165, Ellis County (2026-07-31)

The survey above found a silted or eroded roadside bioswale in the heavy shrink-swell Blackland clay in Waxahachie, and a hand cleared, hand reshaped, hand replanted retrofit would otherwise leave this feature unable to hold and slow the next thunderstorm's runoff. Standard: EPA green infrastructure retrofit best management practice plus USDA NRCS 400-series stormwater conveyance practices (heavy shrink-swell Blackland clay bioswale and small detention feature retrofit), applied here to a public right of way in Waxahachie, TX, Ellis County. SDG 6.3, 6.6, and 11. Proof: before after photos plus silt volume log plus species and plant count record plus GPS Method (EPA green infrastructure retrofit best management practice plus USDA NRCS 400-series stormwater conveyance practices (heavy shrink-swell Blackland clay bioswale and small detention feature retrofit), applied here to a public right of way in Waxahachie, TX, Ellis County. SDG 6.3, 6.6, and 11.): 1. 1. Confirm the feature with the county road department and photograph the silted channel or bare banks before starting. 2. 2. Hand remove accumulated silt and debris from the shallow channel with hand tools only, no power equipment, no digging below the surface. 3. 3. Hand reshape the shallow swale channel surface with hand tools to restore its intended flow line, and hand plant native clay-tolerant plants (switchgrass, buttonbush) along the banks. 4. 4. Photograph the retrofitted feature from the matching before vantage and record species and plant count. Done when: Before photo of the silted or eroded feature; Confirmation only hand tools were used, surface only, no digging below the surface; Silt and debris volume log (approximate bags or lbs removed); Native species and plant count recorded; After photo of the retrofitted feature from the matching vantage

Where

a public road right of way bioswale or small detention feature in Waxahachie, TX 75165, Ellis County

Pay

$175 proposed

This packet is not funded yet, so this figure is a proposed price and not money waiting in escrow. If a buyer funds it, approved proof settles that price onchain. If nobody funds it, approved proof earns provable credit toward the work instead of cash. You see which before you claim, never after.

Proof

before after photos plus silt volume log plus species and plant count record plus GPS

This is exactly what gets it approved. Nothing settles without it.

Level

intermediate

Open until

2026-08-30

How this work is done

A documented method, so this packet comes out the same whoever does it. Typically 30–75 minutes. Method of record: EPA green-infrastructure inspection (bioretention / bioswale / permeable pavement function + maintenance)

Bring

• measuring tape
• GPS phone
• camera
• trowel / probe
• data sheet
• gloves

Steps

1. 1. Locate the GI asset; record GPS; identify the type (rain garden / bioswale / permeable pavement / tree filter).
2. 2. Photograph the asset, its inlet, and its outlet/overflow.
3. 3. Check the inlet and outlet for blockage (sediment, trash, mulch) and note whether flow can enter/leave freely.
4. 4. Check for standing water and estimate whether it drains within the design window (typically <24-48h after rain); probe media if dry.
5. 5. Assess vegetation/media condition and estimate sediment/trash accumulation depth.
6. 6. Note erosion, bypass, or structural damage and list the maintenance needed.
7. 7. Enter asset type, condition, inlet/outlet status, drainage observation, sediment level, maintenance needs, GPS, photos; sign.

If it does not match the plan

• Standing water persists > 48h after rain -> flag failed infiltration (clogged media) for rehab.
• Inlet or outlet blocked -> flag for cleaning; the asset isn't capturing runoff.
• Erosion, undercutting, or flow bypassing the asset -> flag for repair.
• Documentation only — no digging out media or altering structures.

What counts as done

• Asset type + overall condition recorded
• Inlet + outlet clear/blocked status recorded
• Standing-water / infiltration observation recorded
• Sediment/trash level + maintenance recommendations + GPS + photos

Proof is measured against these, not judged by taste.

The standard this serves

Green Stormwater Infrastructure. Green stormwater infrastructure is the city's way of handling rain the way a meadow does: rain gardens, planted swales, and permeable pavement that let a storm soak in instead of surging down a pipe. The EPA's inspection standard keeps these systems honest, because a neglected rain garden quietly stops working while still looking like a garden. Mastery is the inspector's eye: reading inlets, overflow, plants, and soil in a single practiced pass. This packet is one such inspection, one basin checked and one record filed, which is precisely how a thousand basins stay alive.