Compton Park/Wetlands – Drainage Basin (Alexandria, Louisiana)

• City of Alexandria, Louisiana (Client)
• Moore Planning Group (Landscape Architecture)

Challenges/Opportunities:

• Former agriculture use, now adjacency to residential land use
• Neighbor to Pre K-5th grade school, JB Nachman
• Elementary (523 students)
• Create Highest Value of Land
• High cost for removal of soil excavated from basin

Develop a nature-based solution/green Infrastructure project that answers to flood risk needs, adds value to the adjacent properties, and includes community green space passive park with science theme for school children in the process.

Action:

• Engineer the drain basin in a free form design that focuses on safety and efficiency.
• In partnership with Moore Planning Group, Landscape Architects, PAE integrated a passive city-wide accessible park that utilizes excavated soil from the Detention Basin to build large free form grassed berms with an asphalt walking trail, native Louisiana trees, and interpretive nature stations for school/community science class and habitat study.
• Utilize appropriate Louisiana native trees within flood basin to promote water absorption, wildlife habitat, and eventual conversion into US COE certified wetland.