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Bioretention, also known as a bioswale or biopond, is a depressed area that receives runoff from an impervious surface, like a parking lot. These mechanisms contain vegetation that are able to hold water and allow for flora to uptake runoff before flowing into a local waterway. They are much like rain gardens, but these practices will receive runoff from a larger impervious area and require sophisticated engineering design plans to function properly. Bioretention is not only a good way to reduce stormwater runoff, but these systems can also provide homes for important pollinators and can add natural beauty to a developed landscape.

Detention ponds are designed to temporarily store stormwater runoff after a rain event. These practices typically receive runoff from sections of impervious surface like a parking lot or roadway. Detention means that water is detained within the practice for a certain period of time, but eventually the structure will drain all of the water it receives from a rain event and become dry again. This is different than a retaining pond, which permanently stores water and can be used for recreational purposes. Detention ponds are accommodated with a perforated drain to ensure that a system will not overflow into surrounding areas during extreme and rare high rainfall events.