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Our certified professional soil scientist
staff’s understanding of how natural soils and groundwater systems
interact make us uniquely capable of providing valuable information
about when and how Low Impact Development (LID) technologies might best
be applied on a site. PRSW, Inc. will apply our expert knowledge of
soils, hydrology and plants to help select and apply appropriate LID
technologies on your site. Check out our Links to
Useful LID Resources.
LID technologies can and have been misapplied,
but when used correctly, can result in great benefits to both the developer and
the community.
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Rain gardens
provide a sustainable approach to stormwater management
- While continued
population growth is inevitable, we can take our cues from nature on how to
better manage onsite stormwater. Through the use of LID techniques, we can mimic the pre-development hydrology. Ever increasing
stormwater runoff deteriorates water quality, increases erosion and sediment
loads, degrades habitat, and decreases summer stream and river flows. While
conventional systems have reduced runoff, they are often costly, unsightly and
difficult to maintain.
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- LID
techniques may eliminate the need for a large scale,
traditional stormwater facility. For example, rain gardens use
the existing native soil and existing and/or supplementary native vegetation
in naturally occurring depressions to infiltrate stormwater runoff from a
small surrounding area. As described in our
Rain
Garden brochure, rain gardens decrease storm water runoff through
interception, evaporation, and infiltration, resulting in decreased erosion
and improved water quality. Beautiful as well as functional, a rain garden
is an aesthetic addition to any landscape, providing a noise buffer,
enhanced privacy, and urban wildlife habitat. Rain gardens are inexpensive
and easy to install and don't require much maintenance once the plants are
established.
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 Soils
- Current
development practices detrimentally alter the hydrologic function of native
soils. Surface layers are cleared or highly compacted; soil biological
activity is reduced; and deep-rooted vegetation, which fosters infiltration
& aeration, is replaced by a shallow-rooted monoculture of seeded grass.
By using LID techniques such as retaining existing soil and vegetation,
minimizing compaction during construction and using less invasive stormwater
management techniques such as rain gardens at the onset of the design process,
these problems may be avoided.
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Vegetation
- Native vegetation
reduces stormwater runoff through interception and evaporation. Plant roots
stabilize the soil, decrease erosion and absorb soil moisture. Roots also
increase aeration of soil and create flow paths for infiltrating water.
Plants physically attenuate flow of stormwater across the soil surface and
filter out sediments. Through phytoremediation, plants immobilize metals and
assimilate and break down organic pollutants, increasing overall water
quality. Native vegetation encourages a healthy and balanced community of
soil organisms that aid in decomposition and soil amelioration, and provides the highest habitat value for native wildlife. For all
of these reasons, retention of existing vegetation at the onset of a
development project along with increasing plantings of native plants at any
stage during a development’s life span are crucial to hydrologic function.
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