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PrairieWalk Pond
| Admission Fee | No Admission Fee |
PrairieWalk Pond is an award-winning 4.5 acre recreation area in Downtown Lisle. It features a 2-acre pond with a curving shoreline, lighted walking trails, scenic overlooks, seating areas, stone outcroppings, dramatic fountains, educational sigage, a preserved wetland and a children's play area. More than 100 different varieties of native plants and a variety of sustainable features add interest. The Garden Walk, a landscaped walking path, connects to Main Street. At night, the fountains turn color, lighting up the night sky and serving as a beautiful gateway into the downtown.
More than 100 different types of native plants, grasses, shrubs, and trees are contained on the site. Different types of vegetation were used for the wetland, shoreline, grassy areas, basin slope, and children's area. An interactive children’s play area, Dragonfly Landing, completes the project. To view information about the free Dragonfly Landing Splash Pad, click here.
Due to its abundance of milkweed and nectar producing plants (more than 5,000 square feet), low clay, well drained soil, sunny habitat and places to shelter from predators (during reproduction and migration), PrairieWalk Pond has been certified as a Monarch Waystation # 14864. The site is now part of the international Monarch Butterfly Waystation Registry.
Monarch friendly plants include: Butterfly Milkweed, Common Milkweed, Swamp Milkweed, Verbena, Black-eyed Susan, Blazingstar, Boneset, Goldenrod, Ironweed, New England Aster and Purple Coneflower.
To learn more about the Monarch Waystation Program, click here.
Fishing is prohibited at PrairieWalk Pond.
On April 25, 2008, the Village of Lisle was awarded a $400,000 Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Grant (OSLAD) grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. This OSLAD, along with matching village funds, was used to create a 4.5-acre natural area named PrairieWalk Pond and a unique children’s play area named Dragonfly Landing in Downtown Lisle. PrairieWalk Pond's grand opening occurred on October 30, 2010, while Dragonfly Landing's grand opening occurred on June 4, 2011.
The Village purchased 23 parcels of flood plain property and demolished the existing homes to prepare the site for this project. Most properties were purchased from 2005 to 2007. Two properties had been purchased previously; one in 1989 and one in 1998. This project was a recommendation from the Downtown Lisle Master Plan and was designed to effectively manage downtown storm water, reduce flooding, and support downtown redevelopment.
Stormwater that rains on the downtown is directed to the pond via underground storm sewers. Normally, the pond is 8-feet-deep in the center and holds approximately 3.1 million gallons of water. During a heavy storm, another 1.5 million gallons of water flows into the pond, raising the water level 2 feet. At its peak capacity, the pond can hold almost 4.6 million gallons of water and be 10 feet deep.
The pond's slope contains plants that filter and clean the water. Over time, the water is slowly released into a storm sewer that transports it under Route 53, then to an open channel that flows into the East Branch of the DuPage River, just south of Ogden Avenue.
More than 100 different types of native plants, grasses, shrubs, and trees are contained on the site. Different types of vegetation were used for the wetland, shoreline, grassy areas, basin slope, and children's area. An interactive children’s play area, Dragonfly Landing, completes the project. To view information about the free Dragonfly Landing Splash Pad, click here.
Due to its abundance of milkweed and nectar producing plants (more than 5,000 square feet), low clay, well drained soil, sunny habitat and places to shelter from predators (during reproduction and migration), PrairieWalk Pond has been certified as a Monarch Waystation # 14864. The site is now part of the international Monarch Butterfly Waystation Registry.
Monarch friendly plants include: Butterfly Milkweed, Common Milkweed, Swamp Milkweed, Verbena, Black-eyed Susan, Blazingstar, Boneset, Goldenrod, Ironweed, New England Aster and Purple Coneflower.
To learn more about the Monarch Waystation Program, click here.
Fishing is prohibited at PrairieWalk Pond.
Site History
On April 25, 2008, the Village of Lisle was awarded a $400,000 Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Grant (OSLAD) grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. This OSLAD, along with matching village funds, was used to create a 4.5-acre natural area named PrairieWalk Pond and a unique children’s play area named Dragonfly Landing in Downtown Lisle. PrairieWalk Pond's grand opening occurred on October 30, 2010, while Dragonfly Landing's grand opening occurred on June 4, 2011.
The Beginning - A Master Plan Recommendation
The Village purchased 23 parcels of flood plain property and demolished the existing homes to prepare the site for this project. Most properties were purchased from 2005 to 2007. Two properties had been purchased previously; one in 1989 and one in 1998. This project was a recommendation from the Downtown Lisle Master Plan and was designed to effectively manage downtown storm water, reduce flooding, and support downtown redevelopment.
Stormwater
Stormwater that rains on the downtown is directed to the pond via underground storm sewers. Normally, the pond is 8-feet-deep in the center and holds approximately 3.1 million gallons of water. During a heavy storm, another 1.5 million gallons of water flows into the pond, raising the water level 2 feet. At its peak capacity, the pond can hold almost 4.6 million gallons of water and be 10 feet deep.
The pond's slope contains plants that filter and clean the water. Over time, the water is slowly released into a storm sewer that transports it under Route 53, then to an open channel that flows into the East Branch of the DuPage River, just south of Ogden Avenue.