Supporting Low-Impact Development

Low Impact Development (LID) is an approach to stormwater management that emphasizes the use of natural site features and small scale stormwater controls to conserve water on site and mimic natural hydrologic patterns. LID techniques can be used for new developments, stormwater retrofits, or community redevelopment – and for residential or commercial projects.

A great advantage is flexibility. LID approaches can be integrated to maximize the use of natural land features-and ecosystem services-and reduce project costs.

Delaware NEMO (Nonpoint Education for Muncipal Officials) is an educational program for local decision makers that addresses the relationship between land use and natural resource protection, with a focus on watersheds.

NEMO derives its name for its emphasis on educating elected officials, town managers, and community members who serve on local planning commissions about how the land use decisions they make affect water quality and other natural resources. Its goal is to arm community leaders with the knowledge and understanding that will help them make better decisions about development, while minimizing impact on water quality and other natural resources.

Delaware NEMO's latest initiative is to map LID sites in Delaware on the National NEMO LID Atlas. Delaware NEMO is serving as a hub to provide local Delaware examples of LID techniques used to manage stormwater. Anyone interested in using these techniques can view sites online – or visit the actual sites for a first-hand view. LID installers and/or designers can submit their projects to be included in the LID atlas database. See http://nemo.udel.edu/ 

For more on green stormwater design, the National Resource Defense Council has published "From Rooftops to Rivers: Green Strategies for Controlling Stormwater and Combined Sewer Overflows."