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Water: Low Impact Development

Low Impact Development (LID)

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Fact Sheets and Reports | Design/Guidance Manuals | Information Resources and Centers

LID is an approach to land development (or re-development) that works with nature to manage stormwater as close to its source as possible. LID employs principles such as preserving and recreating natural landscape features and minimizing effective imperviousness to create functional and appealing site drainage that treat stormwater as a resource rather than a waste product. There are many practices that have been used to adhere to these principles such as bioretention facilities, rain gardens, vegetated rooftops, rain barrels, and permeable pavements. By implementing LID principles and practices, water can be managed in a way that reduces the impact of built areas and promotes the natural movement of water within an ecosystem or watershed. Applied on a broad scale, LID can maintain or restore a watershed’s hydrologic and ecological functions.

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Green roof

A green roof in the middle of dense urbanization can slow down and reduce rainfall runoff from the roof in Arlington County, Virgina. (Photo courtesy of Ansu John)

Green landscaping in a parking lot

Green landscaping within impervious surfaces, such as parking lots, can help reduce runoff.

Fact Sheets and Reports

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LID and Green Infrastructure

"Green infrastructure" is a relatively new and flexible term, and it has been used differently in different contexts. However, for the purposes of EPA's efforts to implement the Green Infrastructure Statement of Intent (PDF) (4 pp, 37K, About PDF), EPA intends the term "green infrastructure" to generally refer to systems and practices that use or mimic natural processes to infiltrate, evapotranspirate (the return of water to the atmosphere either through evaporation or by plants), or reuse stormwater or runoff on the site where it is generated. Green infrastructure can be used at a wide range of landscape scales in place of, or in addition to, more traditional stormwater control elements to support the principles of LID. Used in this context, the two terms are generally synonymous.

To learn more about green infrastructure, please visit EPA's Green Infrastructure Page.

Design and Guidance Manuals

  • Low Impact Development Design Strategies: An Integrated Design Approach (PDF) (150 pp, 9MB, About PDF)
    This document was prepared by the Prince George's County Maryland Department of Environmental Resources Programs and Planning Division, with assistance from EPA.

  • Low Impact Development Hydrologic Analysis (PDF) (45 pp, 2MB, About PDF)
    This document was prepared by the Prince George's County Maryland Department of Environmental Resources Programs and Planning Division, with assistance from EPA. The design charts from the appendices of this document are not available in PDF format at this point in time.

  • Low Impact Development Urban Design Tools Exit EPA Disclaimer
    This site, developed through a Cooperative Assistance Agreement under the U.S. EPA Office of Water, provides watershed managers with a new set of tools and techniques that can be used to meet regulatory and receiving water program goals for urban retrofits, redevelopment projects, and new development sites. It features an interactive design page for a range of LID techniques and land uses.

  • Low Impact Development Manual (UFC 3-270-10, October, 2004) (PDF) (105 pp, 5.6MB, About PDF) Exit EPA Disclaimer
    This manual was created by the Department of Defense (DoD) United Facilities Criteria (UFC). The UFC provides guidance for integrating LID planning and design into a facility's regulatory and resource protection programs. The UFC applies to Military Departments, Defense Agencies and DoD Field Activities, and will be used for all DoD projects and work for other customers where appropriate.

  • Field Evaluation of Permeable Pavements for Stormwater Management (PDF) (2 pp, 64K, About PDF)
    This study demonstrates the potential of permeable pavement systems to restore soil infiltration functions in the urban landscape. Updated information on this topic and related topics is available from the stormwater management page of the Center for Water and Watershed Studies. Exit EPA Disclaimer

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Information Resources and Centers

  • Stormwater Management at the EPA Headquarters Office Complex
    Web site describing a stormwater management demonstration project at EPA Headquarters.

  • Smart Growth and Water: Resources and Tools
    This set of Web pages includes residential and non-residential low impact development tools.

  • LID for Big Box Retailers Exit EPA Disclaimer
    Developed with input from a major big box retail corporation, this EPA-funded manual is designed to provide large building and site footprint high volume retailers with strategies that integrate innovative and highly effective LID stormwater management techniques into their site designs for regulatory compliance and natural resource protection.

  • 10,000 Rain Gardens <broken link> Exit EPA Disclaimer
    This is a Kansas City metropolitan area initiative. 10,000 Rain Gardens is dedicated to educating the public about what citizens can do to improve water quality and manage stormwater on personal and community property. The site includes information on rain gardens, rain banks and other green solutions for managing stormwater.

  • National Association of Local Government Professionals Webcast on Low Impact Development and Watershed Management Exit EPA Disclaimer
    Archived webcast on LID strategies, including local government case studies.

  • Low Impact Development Center Exit EPA Disclaimer
    The Low Impact Development Center was established to develop and provide information to individuals and organizations dedicated to protecting the environment and water resources through proper site design techniques that replicate pre-existing hydrologic site conditions.

  • Using Rainwater to Grow Livable Communities Exit EPA Disclaimer
    The Water Environment Research Foundation’s Sustainable Stormwater BMP site designed to encourage and facilitate the integration of stormwater BMPs into development projects in your area by providing tools and resources for effective communication and implementation as well as in-depth case studies that examine BMP integration in several cities across the United States.

  • Puget Sound Low Impact Development Exit EPA Disclaimer
    This site describes low impact development activities occurring in the Puget Sound region of Washington state.

  • Stormwater Manager's Resource Center Exit EPA Disclaimer
    The Stormwater Manager's Resource Center (SMRC) is designed specifically for stormwater practitioners, local government officials and others that need technical assistance on stormwater management issues.

  • Green Values Stormwater Toolbox Exit EPA Disclaimer
    This site, hosted by the Center for Neighborhood Technology, features a green values stormwater calculator and other resources related to green infrastructure. It also provides online access to their pocket guide, Water: From Trouble to Treasure.

  • Interactive Online LID Database for New England <broken link> Exit EPA Disclaimer
    This searchable database is designed to highlight innovative BMP strategies, such as Low Impact Development designs, implemented across New England. This database consists of an interactive map showing the locations of various BMPs around New England. Clicking on a town listed will return information from a database about LID practices in that town. Most entries link to a details page that includes additional information on each project. There is also a unique update feature that allows users familiar with additional LID installations to add regional examples to the database.

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