Who will be affected by LA’s Low Impact Development ordinance?

You may be wondering how you and your community may be affected by LA’s proposed Low Impact Development (LID) ordinance.

Here’s how.

The proposed Low Impact Development Ordinance will require that all new construction or redevelopment projects within Los Angeles capture the first ¾” of rain generated by a storm. This rainwater, once captured, will then need to be infiltrated into the groundwater or utilized on site. If these requirements cannot be met, project applicants will have the option to build mitigation projects in other locations including public right of way within the same sub-watershed to offset the runoff or pay a fee to the city to fund additional projects that reduce stormwater pollution in the watershed.

Homeowners that are redeveloping or building new structures (1 acre or less in size) will be affected as well, albeit to a much lesser degree. These smaller projects will be also need to capture and use the first ¾” of rain from storms. Homeowners will be required to implement two best management practices on their proposed project site – a rain barrel, permeable driveway, and grassy swales are just a few examples – to capture and use the rainwater. The City will develop a companion guidance LID Handbook to assist the City developers and residents in implementing LID techniques and strategies.

These little improvements, if implemented, could drastically reduce the amount of stormwater that enters our creeks, rivers and lakes every day. In fact, LID has multiple benefits; it will replenish groundwater supplies and conserve potable water used for outdoor irrigation.

Please take a look at our other LID-related blog posts:


- Board of Public Works Weighs in on LID Ordinance

- Input Needed - Attend the Low Impact Development ordinance community meeting (12/01)

- What exactly is Low Impact Development?

- How will the Low Impact Development ordinance affect LA’s water quality?

- Why is LA’s Bureau of Sanitation department proposing a Low Impact Development ordinance?

- What folks are saying about the Low Impact Development Ordinance – reactions from community groups, businesses and residents

How will the Low Impact Development ordinance affect LA’s water quality?

A few of the water issues we face in Los Angeles such as stormwater pollution and water shortages will be positively impacted by the Low Impact Development (LID) ordinance.

LID, of course, is not a cure all and implementing the tenets of LID will not eliminate stormwater pollution. However, as demonstrated by community-based projects like the Proposition O-funded Oros Green Street project, when stormwater is handled at its source instead at the end of the pipe (i.e. the ocean), it can be a very effective way to address stormwater pollution and improve LA’s water quality.

The proposed LID ordinance will require that all new developments and redevelopments of certain size utilize existing technologies, such as barrels that capture rainwater or permeable driveways that infiltrate the water into the soil. By capturing and using rainwater for future irrigation needs, LID will produce and encourage water conserving practices. The infiltration of rainwater into the soil will produce the much-needed replenishment of groundwater supplies during this time of drought.

If households and developments begin to use these low impact development practices for capturing, infiltrating and using rainwater, Los Angeles could become a model for how large cities successfully make the most of a most precious resource – water.


Please take a look at our other LID-related blog posts:


- Board of Public Works Weighs in on LID Ordinance

- Input Needed - Attend the Low Impact Development ordinance community meeting (12/01)

- What exactly is Low Impact Development?

- How will the Low Impact Development ordinance affect LA’s water quality?

- Why is LA’s Bureau of Sanitation department proposing a Low Impact Development ordinance?

- What folks are saying about the Low Impact Development Ordinance – reactions from community groups, businesses and residents

What Exactly is Low Impact Development (LID)?

Low Impact Development (LID) may seem like an oxymoron since development has to have some kind of impact. Right? Certainly any construction does impact its surroundings, but the effect development has on the local environment can actually be negative or positive.

In laymen’s terms, LID refers to land planning and engineering practices that mitigate the impact of stormwater pollution on the local environment.

In many cases, such as urban areas like Los Angeles, land has already been developed, yet up to date pollution controls are not always in place. In other instances when newer developments implement LID at the onset of construction, water pollution from urban runoff can be greatly decreased.

Examples of LID implementation may be bioswales, or areas where water is caught by natural vegetation or other sources before it reaches the storm drain. Another example is rain barrels, which can be attached to a residential home’s downspout in order to capture water before it runs through the streets to the stormwater system.

In short, LID not only improves water quality, it helps to improve our communities by decreasing pollution.

For more detailed information on LID, please visit our website at http://lastormwater.org/Siteorg/program/LID/lidintro.htm

Please take a look at our other LID-related blog posts:

- Board of Public Works Weighs in on LID Ordinance

- Input Needed - Attend the Low Impact Development ordinance community meeting (12/01)

- What exactly is Low Impact Development?

- How will the Low Impact Development ordinance affect LA’s water quality?

- Why is LA’s Bureau of Sanitation department proposing a Low Impact Development ordinance?

- What folks are saying about the Low Impact Development Ordinance – reactions from community groups, businesses and residents

Board of Public Works Weighs in on Low Impact Development Ordinance

This is the first in a series of Low Impact Development (LID) Ordinance updates. Your input and engagement is vital to this process so please stay tuned.

On Friday, November 13, the Board of Public Works discussed the Bureau of Sanitation’s proposed Low Impact Development (LID) ordinance. A total of 30 community members attended the meeting and spoke during the public comment period. In a 2-1 vote the Board decided to postpone their decision about the ordinance until December 11, 2009.

The proposed ordinance calls for all new or re-development projects to capture, infiltrate and use the runoff that is a result of a storm of .75 inches or less. This will prevent pollutants from leaving the development site. If developers are unable to meet these requirements they would be required to provide mitigation projects at other sites or pay a fee to the City to fund other pollution prevention projects.

While the Board agrees that the LID ordinance is important, they would like to allow for more direct, public input on the issue. The Stormwater Program will therefore be hosting an additional community meeting (similar to the October meetings) to encourage public comment.

A meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 1 at 6:30-8:30 at the City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Sanitation, Media Technical Center (2714 Media Center Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90065) to allow residents to provide input on the matter. All are welcome to attend!

Please stay tuned for these upcoming LID-related blog posts:

- Board of Public Works Weighs in on LID Ordinance

- Input Needed - Attend the Low Impact Development ordinance community meeting (12/01)

- What exactly is Low Impact Development?

- How will the Low Impact Development ordinance affect LA’s water quality?

- Why is LA’s Bureau of Sanitation department proposing a Low Impact Development ordinance?

- What folks are saying about the Low Impact Development Ordinance – reactions from community groups, businesses and residents