Low Impact Development Manual – A Valuable Online Resource

Development practices are taking on a striking new look in the Puget Sound region. The Low Impact Development Technical Guidance Manual for Puget Sound contains detailed guidance on how best to design, construct and maintain low impact development (LID) practices. This online manual is targeted to engineers, planners, developers, builders, architects, landscape architects and other technical staff who design, review, permit and build using LID practices. However, it’s well worth reading if you are in the planning stages of any kind of development effort in our area.

Research shows that conventional development practices do not fully protect water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and other aquatic resources from the adverse effects of development and stormwater runoff. According to the Puget Sound Action Team (an office of the Governor), “Low impact development is a stormwater management and land development strategy applied at the parcel and subdivision scale that emphasizes conservation and use of on-site natural features integrated with engineered, small-scale hydrologic controls to more closely mimic pre-development hydrology.”

Click here to read more about Low Impact Development and to download a copy of the LID Guidance Manual. A link is also available on our “Links” page.

Posted in Stormwater.