External Links and Resources on LID

National Organizations and Research Centers

• Center for Watershed Protection: a leading nonprofit organization with extensive research and publications regarding water resource protection (including stormwater). Be sure to check out the Stormwater BMP Design Supplement for Cold Climates, which provides guidance for selection and design of LID techniques.
• The CWP-related website www.stormwatercenter.net has additional technical material and fact sheets for designers and regulators.
• The Low Impact Development Center provides a host of resources, including Standards and Specifications, Training Modules, Urban Design Tools.
• The National LID Clearinghouse provide a resource for practitioners, regulators, and property owners to exchange information about LID.
• Environmental Protection Agency Low Impact Development page includes links to the publications Low-Impact Development Design Strategies: An Integrated Design Approach and Low-Impact Development Hydrologic Analysis, both prepared by Prince George’s County, MD. Also look at their LID literature review and fact sheets about LID projects.
• Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research has published The Practice of Low Impact Development, a guide to site design, stormwater management, and wastewater disposal:
• The Bioretention page of Allen P. Davis, P.E., Director of the Maryland Water Resources Research Center and Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maryland; this page provides numerous examples of bioretention installations and research:
• Rain Gardens of West Michigan is an informal site for homeowners on how to design and build a rain garden:
• Bioretention.com provides detailed guidance on sizing and designing bioretention cells.

Massachusetts Stormwater Resources and Policy Documents

• Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs Low Impact Development webpage
• The Town of Franklin (MA) Best Development Practices Guidebook provides guidelines for developers and project reviewers. The guidebook describes the preferred design and construction practices in Franklin in the areas of stormwater management, site planning, erosion control, and landscape design, and has been adopted as official town policy.
• Green Neighborhoods Alliance Open Space Residential Design webpage, complete with model bylaws and guidance documents:
• The Massachusetts Buffer Manual provides guidance on using vegetated buffers to minimize nonpoint source pollution.
• The Massachusetts Guide to Lawn and Landscape Water Conservation, published by the Massachusetts Water Resource Commission, describes low impact landscaping practices.
• The Massachusetts Stormwater Policy Handbook (Volume 1) and Technical Handbook (Volume 2) can be found on the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection stormwater publications page, along with other useful stormwater publications.
• The North and South River Watershed Association has published a Stormwater Assessment and Proposed Best Management Practices for Downtown Marshfield, which identifies opportunities for LID retrofits in a coastal Massachusetts community.

Other New England Resources and Publications

• Nonpoint Education For Municipal Officials, a program of the University of Connecticut to educate land use decision makers about natural resource protection; see the sections on “Impervious Surfaces” and “Reducing Runoff”
• Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation Stormwater Section; click on “Publications/Resources” to access the 2002 stormwater manual

State and Regional Stormwater Manuals and Guidance Documents

• State of Maryland Stormwater Management Program. Look for links to the Maryland Stormwater Design Manual and the Stormwater Management and Urban Redevelopment fact sheet.
• The Maryland Office of Smart Growth published a paper on Parking Best Practices (PDF), which includes LID techniques to minimize impervious surfaces and distribute stormwater management structures throughout parking areas.
• New York State Stormwater Management Design Manual—a comprehensive design manual that includes sizing criteria, cold climate considerations, and other details for BMP designers and reviewers.
• The Pennsylvania DEP Stormwater Manual Oversight Committee is in the process of developing a stormwater manual with many LID techniques.
• The Bay Area Stormwater Management Agencies Association (BASMAA) publishes Start at the Source – Design Guidance Manual for Stormwater Quality Protections, an excellent guidance document for site design and stormwater management. Additional reports and outreach materials can be found on the BASMAA web site.
• The California Stormwater Quality Association publishes comprehensive BMP handbooks for development, municipal operations, and industrial and commercial activities.