Low Impact Development
Low Impact Development practices help protect watersheds by reducing urban runoff.
When rain falls onto the hard surfaces of streets,
sidewalks, parking lots and rooftops, it picks up any and all pollutants that
are in its path, gathering volume and speed until it enters a stormdrain and is
piped underground or directly into a stream. Stormwater runoff changes stream
flows, decreases groundwater recharge, increases flooding, erodes stream channels,
destroys fish habitat, and increases water pollution.
Newer, more sustainable stormwater management techniques use plants and soil to capture and filter runoff and allow the cleaned water to recharge groundwater supplies, mimicking a natural system. Low-impact development (LID) is a term used to describe a suite of development practices that reduce stormwater runoff by preserving existing natural site features and installing distributed, small-scale stormwater technologies that mimic the way nature manages rainfall. One example of an LID practice is a rain garden, which helps slow, capture, filter, and infiltrate stormwater that runs off of impervious surfaces.
OEC is working with communities around Oregon to expand awareness of LID and how it can protect watersheds from urban runoff while reducing costs. Learn more about OEC’s Stormwater Solutions workshops.
Learn more about low-impact development practices, such as rain gardens, pervious pavement, green roofs, bioswales, rainwater harvesting and conservation planning.
For homeowners: Install your own rain garden or rain barrel.
Download Teresa Huntsinger’s presentation about urban runoff and low-impact development.
