Low Impact Development (LID) Help Center

LID features are storm water infrastructure that have been specifically designed to treat and capture runoff from rain events. LID features are designed to mimic pre-development natural conditions and have the potential to reduce flooding. These features can be invisible to untrained eyes as they are oftentimes found in planter strips, yards, curbs, gutters and parking lots of residential, commercial and municipal areas. LID features are vital to our city because they are essential storm water infrastructure for all new development built here.

LID as defined by the California Water Board

Low Impact Development (LID) is a sustainable practice that benefits water supply and contributes to water quality protection. Unlike traditional storm water  management, which collects and conveys storm water runoff through storm drains, pipes, or other conveyances to a centralized storm water facility, LID takes a  different approach by using site design and storm water management to maintain the site’s pre-development runoff rates and volumes. The goal of LID is to  mimic a site’s predevelopment hydrology by using design techniques that infiltrate, filter, store, evaporate, and detain runoff close to the source of rainfall. LID  has been a proven approach in other parts of the country and is seen in California as an alternative to conventional storm water management. The Water Boards  are advancing LID in California in various ways.