Bulletin guides decisions for low-impact stormwater control

Published July 9, 2013
This LID modular wetland stormwater control feature is at Fort Hood, Tex.

This LID modular wetland stormwater control feature is at Fort Hood, Tex.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a new Public Works Technical Bulletin to help military land managers make sound decisions when selecting low impact development stormwater control practices. PWTB 200-1-116, “Guidance for Low Impact Development (LID) Site Selection and Integration on Military Lands,” is posted on the internet at: http://www.wbdg.org/ccb/ARMYCOE/PWTB/pwtb_200_1_116.pdf

Historically, stormwater has been managed using the flood-control approach, where excess stormwater runoff is conveyed through a developed network of channels and pipes downstream to a central treatment outlet. This centralized approach is outdated, expensive to maintain, and only moderately effective as a pollution control measure.

Numerous case studies and research have indicated that stormwater management strategies should become decentralized and stormwater control measures should focus on mimicking an area’s pre-development hydrology in an effort to lower downstream pollution, increase water reuse, and improve groundwater recharge. These stormwater control strategies, otherwise known as LID Integrated Management Practices, can be implemented with either structural or non-structural stormwater control measures to lower the financial burden of end treatment controls and meet environmental regulations.

The PWTB provides an overview of LID stormwater management practices and offers guidance on site analysis and selection as related to military lands for both new construction and site redevelopment. In addition, this document provides a comprehensive overview of the regulatory and policy documents that are the backbone of LID design practices. The key design concepts, common site development challenges and general issues regarding LID implementation are examined to help the planner/designer ensure successful integration of LID into traditional stormwater management approaches. LID IMP fact sheets are provided for the most common LID practices along with strategies to help planners make decisions about cost and suitability dependent on site development goals.