Constructing Wetlands to Clean Stormwater Run-off
The construction of stormwater wetlands, led by wetland experts from Texas A&M Community Watershed Partners, is a key element to Exploration Green. As even greater amounts of storm water runoff from a number of area neighborhoods to the stormwater detention lakes, wetlands are needed to naturally filter the water as it flows in tributary streams to Horsepen Bayou, Armand Bayou, Clear Lake and on to Galveston Bay.
Texas A&M Community Watershed Partners has developed a detailed design for storm water wetlands within Exploration Green. The design incorporates hydrology and hydraulics, specifies the best locations of the storm water wetlands, and the recommends the area of wetlands needed for the anticipated volume of storm water. This is providing an environmental enhancement that does not exist today.
Texas A&M Community Watershed Partners has established an on-site wetland plant nursery on Exploration Green Phase 5 to grow a steady supply of wetland plants to transplant once excavation of each phase is complete.
Natural Habitat Creation
The wetlands will reduce mosquitoes in the constantly flowing water providing functional ecosystems with mosquito-eating frogs, tadpoles and mosquito fish.
Exploration Green is expanding wildlife habitat by creating wetlands for wading birds, ducks, amphibians, turtles, fish, and dragonflies, and by planting native trees, shrubs, grasses and wildflowers which support a wide variety of existing, new resident and migrating birds and butterflies.
According to iNaturalist's Exploration Green page, Exploration Green is now home to more than 600 species of plants, animals, birds, and insects. And eBird lists Exploration Green as a "hotspot" with approximately 150 species of bird.