Low Impact Development (LID) Projects

The contractors of the San Francisco Watershed Council (SFWC) Project partnered with local government representatives and municipalities in the watershed to make recommendations to improve policies, codes, ordinances, and practices of those jurisdictions. The SFWC retrofitted two existing properties to reduce stormwater and urban runoff and used these models to inform the public and increase awareness of BMP implementation.

This project studied the feasibility of converting existing paved beach parking lots into multi-use parking and recreational facilities via the use of greening techniques. The greening of these lots implements best management practices which increase infiltration of stormwater.

The Project consists of reducing polluted runoff from urban areas by facilitating the installation of Evapotranspiration (ET) Controllers to improve the efficiency of residential and commercial irrigation systems, and by landscape maintenance programs.

This project has designed and constructed three parallel landscapes with different levels of BMPs in the areas of irrigation, pesticide use, plant selection, buffers, landscape surfaces, and integrated pest management to evaluate the effectiveness of the BMPs on pesticide runoff. The project is also increasing public awareness about the effectiveness of implementing BMPs.

Develop guidance and training materials for development plan review to promote effective implementation of Low Impact Development (LID) techniques in southern California. Guidance and training will be based on comprehensive field-verified qualitative and quantitative evaluations of LID features as implemented in Southern California. Guidance and training will provide metrics to estimate the reduction of pollutant loads and hydromodification to be realistically expected from LID in proposed projects.

The project will develop a LID demonstration/project site to build LID capacity in SLO County, institutionalize LID by preparing a LID Design standards manual and Ordinance Review, motivate LID implementation using incentives, and develop a model for community involvement in Santa Margarita that demonstrates stewardship for community creeks, wetlands, forests, and wildlife.

The project will install porous pavement to increase infiltration and reduce excess runoff to the San Diego River associated with surface parking.

This project shall retrofit up to 12 urban subwatersheds with smart landscape irriagation controllers, irrigation distribution improvements and/or landscape modifications; and evaluate these retrofits potential to conserve water and reduce nuisance runoff and reduce bacteria/nutrient pollutant loads discharged to receiving waters.

The LGC is working with agencies and organizations to develop a watershed-based strategy for aligning local planning and stormwater management to minimize the water quality impacts of future development in Ventura County. The project will help the county and cities to comply with NPDES stormwater permits, while providing other environmental benefits though the use of LID.

This comprehensive storm water management program includes the development of a hydrologic model, the implementation of a demonstration LID project, and construction of a storm water treatment wetland on the campus of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

The project will reduce urban nonpoint source pesticide, nutrient and sediment pollution into impaired waterbodies and the Monterey Bay from commercial and residential landscape and school site operations by implementing water quality site plans, BMPs, and LIDs at model sites and providing technical assistance to the public. The Pollution Prevention in the Schools program will meet this objective by facilitating a water quality site assessment / pollution prevention planning process for 6 model schools; and providing technical assistance to all schools in the region for water quality site planning and implementing pollution prevention programs. The Green Gardener program will meet this objective by training and certifying 80 Green Gardeners, implementing 4 projects on residential and commercial sites, and technically assisting hundreds of residents.

The project consists of installation of pervious pavement on a minimum of 5 existing parking lots to infiltrate water from low-flows and first flush during wet weather.

The project generally consists of constructing BMP treatment system along a portion of Bicknell Street, replacing some hardscapes and expanding the existing landscaped parkway to include a variety of biofilter-swale and porous pavement BMPs.

The project proposes to address urban runoff from areas within the Mission Bay watershed using structural diversions and LIDs. Targeted areas include Visitors Center and Cudahy Creek in Mission Bay, and La Jolla. This work will significantly improve water quality at some of San Diego's most popular bathing and surfing beaches. In the case of La Jolla, water quality will also be improved at the adjacent ASBS and marine reserve.