The Constructed Stormwater Wetland (CSW) treats over 42 acres of stormwater runoff on Villanova University’s main and west campus, and is one of the oldest stormwater control measures within the VCRWS. Supported by the EPA section 319 Nonpoint Source National Monitoring Program, the CSW was installed in 1999 and reconstructed in 2011 as a retrofit for a large detention basin located just south of County Line Road and what is now the Villanova Law School.
Detention basins provide little to no water quality improvement for urban stormwater runoff, and are often unable to slow down the flow of water created by impervious surfaces such as asphalt during large storms. Installing a wetland where detention basins currently exist is a very practical, small-footprint method for creating a more environmentally stable transition from urban runoff to local streams.