Low impact development (LID) is a relatively new strategy to land development and stormwater management that mimics natural hydrology patterns in residential and commercial site development. LID planning protects and uses a site’s natural features: native vegetation, well draining soils, topography, and natural drainages. It combines these features with a suite of small-scale stormwater practices to clean and infiltrate stormwater as close to where it starts on impervious surfaces.

LID Design Guidelines are appropriate for all parcels in the Nisqually Watershed, regardless of lot size or density. Also, financial advantages can be significant when LID is used to reduce the stormwater detention required in conventional construction. Documented studies have shown that low impact techniques are less costly to implement than standard development, with savings ranging from 10 to 20 percent depending on the LID techniques used. Download the Guidelines.