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By Samantha Sonderen  

Discussion of plans for a new Walmart dominated the Florissant City Council meeting on March 12. Members spent more than an hour purposing questions to Jeff Otto, with THF developers, but they paid special attention to one environmental issue—water detention.

The proposal that Otto presented to the council included a designated area to collect water runoff from the new parking lot. Otto called these areas “rain gardens.” This one will be specially designed to collect storm water and debris, filter it, run it through underground pipes and, finally, flow slowly into Coldwater Creek through a riprap. A riprap is a hilled area of rocks that slow down water. Some of the water will absorb into the ground before reaching the creek.

The garden will be fenced in and grassy. Otto mentioned that it would be designed to handle light to moderate rain that would filter through sand. The sand helps to remove elements from water that would otherwise end up in the creek.

Councilman Tim Lee raised the issue of whether or not the filtered water will, in fact, be suitable to flow into the creek. He said that, before the council approves the request to build, Otto must obtain a declaration from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stating that it complies with section 404 of the Clean Water Act.

Florissant residents and council members voiced their concerns with additional water flow into the creek. Councilwoman Karen McKay has witnessed overflow from the creek and worries that the additional water might make a flood situation worse. Otto justified his plan by mentioning the purpose of the riprap.

A larger concern for the construction of a rain garden was that it might not be maintained well. “When there’s water sitting in it, it’s like a mosquito haven,” McKay said. She also mentioned that the area collects debris, and it can turn quickly from a beneficial water filtering system into an unpleasant use of land if not taken care of.

An alternative to the aboveground garden would be a detention tank beneath the ground. According to McKay, underground systems are more expensive and harder to maintain. However, they prevent a potential eyesore. McKay did say that an underground system would put unneeded pressure on the sewer system.

There are pros and cons to the rain garden, but council members did not make any urges to change the aboveground plan. McKay would like to see the area used for something else, but she also realizes the benefit for the sewer system. As long as the future business maintains the area and keeps it clean, the garden appears to be a construction that can satisfy almost every council member.