What is a Green Infrastructure?

The City of Lewisville embraces nature based solutions to challenges arising from stormwater pollution, drought, and urban heat islands. Many departments within the City have come together to create innovative green infrastructure installations throughout the community to help address these challenges and meet our sustainability goals.

Green infrastructure is an approach to managing stormwater that takes advantage of natural processes (like infiltration and evapotranspiration) that assist with slowing down, cleaning, and reusing stormwater to keep it from overwhelming drainage systems and polluting waterways. The goal is to mimic the natural environment through the intentional use of plants, trees, and other measures.  Green infrastructure can include bioswales, green roofs, rain gardens, curb cuts, or other natural mechanisms to help slow down flow and assist with water filtration.

The use of native plants in these green infrastructure installations further assists the city with meeting its sustainability goals. Native plants are typically hardier, more drought tolerant, and provide food and habitat for a wide variety of natural life.

Where can you find green infrastructure in Lewisville?

The City of Lewisville has incorporated elements of green infrastructure into parks and public spaces throughout the community. To learn more about how we are using these natural tools to build a sustainable community, take a tour using the links below:

Roots for Wings - our residential native landscape certification program.  Learn more about how community members throughout Lewisville are supporting pollinators and conserving water by creating native landscapes!

Main & Mill - the first Complete Streets project implementation, this area is an example of how Lewisville is using native plants and Complete Streets concepts to create a walkable, bikeable, sustainable Old Town.

Wayne Ferguson Plaza - a rain garden in the Plaza is mimicking natural systems to help manage stormwater runoff from streets and parking lots.  Additionally, the Plaza is full of many native plants and trees providing multiple benefits to this Old Town greenspace, including pollinator habitat, urban heat island mitigation, and reduced maintenance and water usage.

This initiative supports the goals laid out in many of the City’s formal plans and programs, including:

• Lewisville 2025
• Sustainability Action Plan
• Healthy Infrastructure Plan
• Green Centerpiece Master Strategy
• Prairie Creek Management Plan
• LLELA Restoration Plan
• Thrive Nature Park Restoration Plan
• Denton County Greenbelt Plan

How can I do this at home?

Elements of green infrastructure can be incorporated at home, too. This can include water conserving measures like rain barrels, building your own rain gardens, or planting native/pollinator-friendly plants.

What are some other ways I can help?

Keep Lewisville Beautiful Adopt a Spot

Giving 4 Green Spaces

Seed Library

Texas Watershed Steward Program

More information on Pollinator Prairies can be found on the Parks and Recreation website.