Bioretention, Low Impact Development, and Stormwater Management

This chapter provides a historical overview of stormwater management in the United States, the development and adoption of the low impact development (LID) approach, and a detailed review of the bioretention best management practice (BMP). The stormwater management historical overview introduces readers to the evolution of water-related regulations, from flood control (water quantity management), to water quality improvement, to the present holistic ecosystem protection. The LID section highlights a variety of techniques that achieve a “low impact to the environment” where urban development takes place. The last section of the chapter covers the bioretention BMP on aspects of current research methods, underlying principles, design considerations, performances, and challenges in implementing bioretention. Overview of the Stormwater Management Movement in the United States Stormwater management, as a major component of urban ecosystems, is becoming increasingly important in the 21st century as development continues to sprawl and alter the quantity and quality of surface water in urban watersheds. Because there is ever more demand for clean fresh water, the protection of water resources by preserving the integrity of ecosystems and creating built environments that mimic nature’s filtering function has emerged as a new paradigm for managing urban stormwater. For many decades stormwater has been regarded as a flood hazard. Beginning in the early 20th century, new and coordinated efforts were initiated as a way to regulate stormwater and take positive steps toward regaining its deserving role as a valuable asset to urban ecosystems. M.-H. Li (minghan@tamu.edu) and B. Dvorak (bdvorak@tamu.edu), Dep. of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas AM C.Y. Sung, Texas Transportation Institute, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3135 (cysung@tamu.edu). doi:10.2134/agronmonogr55.c20 Copyright © 2010. American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America, 5585 Guilford Road, Madison, WI 53711, USA. Agronomy Monograph 55. Urban Ecosystem Ecology. J. Aitkenhead-Peterson and A. Volder (ed.)