Some might associate Firefly Grove Park with Mama Rosa (the giant troll art sculpture), the looping pump track, or the whimsical living willow hut. But for those who look closer, the park also tells another story - one about water and sustainability. Wauwatosa’s newest park, located at 1900 N. 116th Street, is centered around stormwater best management practices.

Prior to the 1970’s, this area was a landfill. After it was filled, it was just long grass up to your knees with water that wasn’t optimal for runoff.

After a major transformation, the park now features three major stormwater best management practices (BMPs): an engineered wetland, a biofiltration basin, and porous pavement walkways. Together, these systems capture, store, and filter nearly 580,000 gallons of stormwater before it flows into the existing wetlands nestled along the park’s east side.

The engineered wetland alone holds more than 218,000 gallons, using native plants and soils to slow and clean the water. The biofiltration basin provides another 205,000 gallons of storage, allowing stormwater to soak naturally into the ground. Porous pavement paths add over 155,000 gallons of storage by letting rain filter through slowly rather than run off hard surfaces.

The City leveraged local partnerships to ensure that every stormwater element was fully funded through Fresh Coast Green Communities and the MMSD Green Solutions Funding program. These stormwater features help protect the neighborhood from flooding, improve water quality, and revitalize a once-overlooked property.