Low Impact Development Controls
Low-Impact Development (LID) is a term used in the US and Canada to describe a more eco-friendly land planning and design approach to stormwater management. In the United Kingdom, this approach is referred to sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS), and in Australia, it's called water-sensitive urban design (WSUD). The US terminology is used in this software and its documentation.
LID controls help developed watersheds or sites to retain or enhance pre-development hydrologic characteristics through the use of techniques that conserve natural systems and hydrologic functions.
Some of the goals of LID are to:
- Protect natural systems such as drainage ways, vegetation, and soils
- Decentralize stormwater management, shifting it to small-scale practices at the source location
- Preserve open space
- Minimize land disturbance and impervious area
- Disconnect impervious surfaces
- Increase flow path lengths and travel times
- Customize site design to the needs of a particular site, instead of simply relying on traditionally accepted practices
A number of government agencies, universities, and other groups publish educational information, research and design guidance for implementing LID and LID controls. Places to start include: