StormwaterONE’s online Low Impact Development (LID) for Stormwater Management course is designed to educate students on Low Impact Development (LID) practices and concepts. The goals, tools, costs, methods, as well as Best Management Practices (BMPs), implementation and maintenance of LID for stormwater management will be covered.

This course is designed to educate students on a variety of LID practices and systems that mimic or preserve natural drainage processes to result in the infiltration, evapotranspiration or use of stormwater in order to protect water quality and associated aquatic habitat.

LID is an ecologically friendly approach to site development and stormwater management that aims to mitigate development impacts to land and water.

The goal of any construction project is to design a hydrologically functional site that mimics predevelopment conditions. This is achieved by using design techniques that infiltrate, filter, evaporate, and store runoff close to its source. Rather than rely on costly large-scale conveyance and treatment systems, LID addresses stormwater through a variety of small, cost-effective landscape features located on-site. 

Low Impact Development relates directly to construction because it is very easy to ruin the post-construction function of a LID BMP during the construction process.

Low Impact Development focuses more on providing GREENER stormwater infrastructure as well as the following:

• Maintaining and restoring natural hydrology,
• Protecting natural resources,
• Fulfilling environmental regulations,
• Using science, plants and healthy soil, and
• Maintaining and restoring the natural hydrology.

The LID approach emphasizes the integration of site design and planning techniques that conserve the natural systems and hydrologic functions of a site. With urbanization and development, more impervious surface pavement and asphalt is added. This increases the volume of stormwater. When that is not managed properly, drainage systems are stressed.