| Urban layout form and stormwater practices have been designed to convey stormwater from urban areas with minimal treatment. These practices can significantly alter surface water storage, evapotranspiration, infiltration and runoff, causing unintended negative consequences on surface and groundwater. A promising alternative form of urban development and stormwater management is called Low Impact Development (LID). This design strategy is intended to provide for urban development while maintaining predevelopment hydrological characteristics. This study used the Guelph All-Weather Sequential Events Runoff (GAWSER) hydrologic model to evaluate the ability of LID techniques to mitigate the impact of urbanization on hydrology using a catchment area in Kitchener, Ontario as a case study. Results are consistent with those of other recent authors and demonstrate that well planned and designed LID practices can minimize undesirable hydrologic effects of urbanization in both new development and retrofit applications. |
