Meliora Design is currently developing a stormwater management plan for Hershey Gardens. The Garden collections currently suffer damage from erosion gullies formed by off-site stormwater. Measures that capture and infiltrate runoff at the top of the slopes- such as vegetated berms, infiltration beds, and specific plantings- will be used to prevent erosive conditions from forming. The collected water will be used to restore moisture in the Gardens.

Meliora Design is working with the  Delaware Riverkeeper Network to restore a wooded wetland in Radnor Township into a park.  The Levin Tract is one of the few remaining large wooded open space tracts owned by the Township and has become degraded by upland stormwater discharges and invasive species.  Because the area has natural wetlands, the design team focused on restoring the wetlands and surrounding woodlands to improve both water quality and ecosystem value.  The design helps to reduce erosion, capture and filter existing stormwater flows, improve vegetation management, and enhance the property to better serve as a public passive recreation area with trails and educational signage.

Meliora provided technical assistance in developing concept designs and construction documents to retrofit several detention basins in the Upper Wissahickon Watershed.  The designs support the Philadelphia Water Department’s Source Water Protection Program and focused on stormwater volume reduction and water quality improvement largely through the restoration and enhancement of basin soils and vegetation.  The project was funded by the Philadelphia Water Department.

For the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Meliora is designing solutions to the development impacts and associated increased volume of stormwater runoff that have affected Saddler’s Run, a small stream flowing through Saddler’s Woods. Stormwater management practices, such as rain gardens, subsurface infiltration beds, and vegetated swales will be installed in the upper drainage area of Saddler’s Woods to reduce stormwater runoff from entering the site. In the second phase of protecting this valuable natural area, Meliora will recommend stream restoration measures, such as woodland berms, check dams, and slope stabilization, along the gullies flowing to Saddler’s Run.