Putting the LID on Erosion and Sediment Runoff

Engineers and contractors in California are scrambling to incorporate significant new changes to rules for managing stormwater runoff during and after construction amid above-average rainfall this season. The updates–which are the state’s first real code adjustments in more than 10 years–include numerical targets for runoff content; monitoring and reporting on conditions and activities before, during and after rainstorms; and leaving erosion conditions after construction equivalent to those before. It is another example of how low impact development (LID) strategies are influencing practice throughout the United States.