“Low Impact Development  (LID)” techniques are a collection of simple, attractive, inexpensive yet effective alternatives to managing storm water at the site level.  Rather than collecting all the runoff water and concentrating it like a storm sewer system, LID techniques deal with storm water as close to the source as possible, where both the volume and velocity of the runoff is still easily manageable, allowing the water to soak into the soil naturally.  Examples of LID techniques include bioretention (rain gardens, vegetated swales), rain water catchment (rain barrels, cisterns), permeable pavement, and green roofs.  Many LID techniques have the added attraction of serving as landscape elements in addition to water management tools, giving you more value for every dollar spent.

We have all seen that when rain falls (or snow melts) on impervious surfaces like roofs, driveways, sidewalks, parking lots, and roads, the runoff, called storm water, can quickly become a lot of water to manage as it rushes downhill to a lake, stream or storm drain.

The problems storm water creates include soil erosion (and its many issues), flooding, and carrying pollutants from roads, etc. into our surface lakes and streams, causing pollution issues there as well.  Even something as seemingly harmless as soil in runoff water is a big problem.  In addition to this silt filling our lakes and smothering spawning gravel in streams, phosphates (the middle number or “P” in fertilizer labels) bond to soil and are carried into surface waters where high concentrations cause algal blooms.  Bacteria then eat the algae, multiply, and consume all of the available oxygen, causing fish and other aquatic life to move or die, and leaving the water unattractive and smelly.  This has become a serious issue in the Great Lakes, and has been especially obvious in the Saginaw Bay in recent summers.  Agricultural runoff is another major concern as nutrients entering the waterways also fuel eutrophication and serious algal blooms.

In urban areas storm water is most often managed by building expensive systems of detention ponds, drains and storm sewers to capture the water and move it somewhere else where, hopefully, it won’t cause as much damage.  Not only are storm sewer systems expensive to build, they require constant maintenance and periodic replacement.  As they generally run down the center of the street, there is always a lot of disruption while installation and repair are going on.  And as pointed out above, this system, by hurrying water on its way, carries a heavy load of pollutants to wherever it is discharged.

Contrast this approach with bioretention, using a rain garden as an example.

A rain garden is a shallow depression created in yards, parks, open spaces, or along the roadside where runoff is directed to slowly soak into the ground.  Their size is determined by calculating the area draining to them and water volume given storms of a specific precipitation rate.  Rain gardens are normally dry, (not ponds or swamps) and are usually planted with hardy native grasses and wildflowers, adding beauty to function at no additional cost.  The Wisconsin DNR estimates that a rain garden allows at least 30% more water to soak into the ground than a comparably sized area of conventional lawn. Bioretention techniques also trap large amounts of pollutants in soil and plants, preventing them from reaching ground or surface waters.  The effect on the site and neighborhood can be dramatic, especially if several techniques are employed together to create an attractive, natural, storm water management system.

Let Wildside Associates design a beautiful, functional LID solution that fits your site, tastes, and budget. Not only will you reduce storm water runoff and drainage issues on land, you will help protect the ground water and surface streams and lakes in your area, including the Great Lakes, from silt and other pollutants.