What Is LID? What Is GI?

Low Impact Development

Low Impact Development, or LID, is a comprehensive approach to managing stormwater. By using innovative site planning, design strategies, and treatment practices, LID protects water quality and habitat from development impacts more effectively than traditional stormwater management techniques. Specifically, LID seeks to:

• avoid impacts by preserving and protecting as much of the natural site condition as possible,

• reduce impacts by minimizing the amount of impervious cover (paved surfaces) in order to lessen the amount of runoff being generated, and

• manage impacts by treating stormwater runoff as closely as possible to the point where runoff reaches the ground, rather than conveying and managing stormwater in large, costly drainage systems.

Green Infrastructure

Green infrastructure sharply contrasts grey infrastructure, which refers to manmade stormwater management techniques such as pipes, drains, and engineered detention ponds. Green infrastructure aims to use nature to slow, filter, and move water, and most practices rely on the inherent properties of soil.

Types of Green Infrastructure