The development of Riverstone required a permit from the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). As part of the USACE permit, the District is required to construct and maintain 25 acres of wetlands areas under strict federal requirements. The 25-acre requirement includes multiple wetland planting beds in the lakes throughout Riverstone. These wetland beds were purposefully created in the lakes to help improve water quality. Wetlands Park on LJ Parkway and the Cypress Bend area along the Club at Riverstone Trail also include protected wetlands.
There are a variety of “desirable” wetland plant species LID 15 must establish under the USACE permit, but the District is limited to the maintenance that can be performed on “undesirable” or invasive plants. With the recent hard freeze, many of the desirable plants are now dormant and have wilted. These wilted plants will remain in the wetland beds until the major risk of another hard freeze passes in about 6 weeks. However, as spring approaches this wilted material and any undesirable plants will be trimmed back and removed by hand. The maintenance contractor will also relocate desirable species from densely planted areas to help reestablish and improve aesthetics in other beds.
