LID Principles in Integrated Stormwater Design

We know how to design traditional pipe drainage as the core of stormwater management, to protect our urban areas from flooding. Now the LID (Low Impact Design) movement gives us instruction on how to manage stormwater in a sustainable way to protect water quality. In recent years, these two approaches have been brought together through legislation and industry practice. Yet they remain strangely incompatible in practice. It could even be said that together they result in poor stormwater management, or at the very least, that opportunities for good stormwater management are lost. However, this does not have to be the case.

This presentation highlights the apparent areas of incompatibility between traditional drainage design and LID. It goes on to show that, drawing on experience from around the world and with some innovation in the way we design drainage and with the support of emerging technology, we can get the best of both worlds, maintaining the focus on good stormwater management while putting into practice the sustainable approach of LID. As a result, we should be able to mitigate urban flooding and reduce degradation of water quality in a way that is affordable now and in the future.