Driving through Cuyahoga County, Ohio, one can easily spot a network of stormwater infrastructure that spans the landscape.  The most recognized feature is the dry detention basin, often a grass depression in the landscape that temporarily holds water and slowly releases it. Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) staff saw the potential to elevate the ecology of the county through a simple enhancement to this specialized infrastructure: replace the grass with native species.    

Native vegetation is better adapted to periodic flooding, can improve infiltration, nutrient uptake, habitats, and aesthetics. This simple change can transform the monoculture that has become widely accepted within basins into a landscape overflowing with biological diversity. 

In 2025, Cuyahoga SWCD secured a Friends of NACD District Grant to support the development of a research project that explored the best native planting practices for stormwater basins. Two sites near Berea-Midpark High School and Mayfield High School were chosen in the hopes of integrating education into the project. With a generous donation of organic material from the City of Beachwood, and enthusiastic partnerships that quickly developed with staff and students at the schools, Cuyahoga SWCD staff were able to install a total of 12 test plots. Each school’s basin contained six plots that tested a variety of planting methods. 

Students were involved in every step of the process, learning about stormwater and native vegetation. Using the information they learned, students became quasi-landscape architects. They even had a friendly competition where they developed planting plans by creating layouts and selecting plant species they thought would thrive within the basins. Students also got involved in the installation process, from prepping the soil to planting the seed. In the fall, they began collecting data and are currently helping to interpret it.  

Although the Friends of NACD grant was only a yearlong agreement, the research project will continue. By the project’s third year, staff should be able to observe the full maturity of the native plant populations. These case studies will provide staff at Cuyahoga SWCD with the scientific backing and confidence necessary to provide guidance regarding native plantings within stormwater basins throughout the county. 

Do you want to support important community engagement projects like the one above? Click here to become a Friend of NACD. 

Tags: Friends of NACD, North Central Region