How Greenville, SC’s Unity Park was designed to handle flooding

City engineers watched their work get tested to start off 2023.

GVL_Unity_Park_Flood_2_JAN2023

Flash flooding at Unity Park | Photo by the City of Greenville

The chances of rain this week are much lower than the last when Greenville received ~4 inches of rain causing flash flooding, especially in areas around the Reedy River.

GVL_Unity_Park_Flood_JAN2023

What a difference 24 hours can make. | Videos by The City of Greenville

City engineers say there will always be times when a river exceeds its banks, because that’s what rivers do, but it’s about how leaders and engineers can plan ahead to minimize damage:

  • The city built Unity Park in a floodplain because parks recover quickly after taking on water, unlike buildings and other properties.
    GVL_Unity_Park_Flood_Bench_JAN2023

    The bench gives the swelling river a place to go. | Videos by The City of Greenville

  • Along the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail, engineers designed river benches to give the water a place to go in weather events that cause the river to rise, protecting businesses at The Commons.
  • From Unity Park’s electrical systems to the soil mixture to the furniture and structures to the plants and trees, park designers made design choices that withstand the rising Reedy River.
More from GVLtoday