ABSTRACT
Low Impact Development (LID) uses on-site natural features and small-scale hydrologic controls to manage runoff, closely mimicking predevelopment watershed hydrologic functions. LID can fully control flows associated with low-intensity storms, improve water quality treatment by increasing stormwater contact with soils and vegetation, and significantly reduce flows from larger volume storms on sites with relatively permeable soils. LID is a significant conceptual shift from conventional stormwater management; its broader application should encourage designers to incorporate native hydrologic processes as important organizing principles in the development of the urban and suburban landscape.
