| Scope and Method of Study: Evaluating the existing research and guidelines available on the design, installation, benefits, costs, maintenance and limitations of Low Impact Development practice for the State of Oklahoma. Method of study including researching peer-reviewed journal articles, searching for and utilizing manuals from Federal and State agencies as well as using research from universities to develop chapters for each practice.;Findings and Conclusions: Low Impact Development is more prevalent on the East and West coast. However, several LID projects are in place in Oklahoma. There are both benefits and limitation to LID practices and before implementation one should consider all of the factors before making a decision. LID can be very beneficial to Oklahoma and these chapters will be utilized in a forthcoming LID Manual for the public to utilize.;Since the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System regulations were first implemented in Oklahoma in 1990 stormwater management has evolved in many ways. One of these evolutions has came by the way of the EPA encouraging communities to utilize Low Impact Development (LID) to deal with both stormwater quantity and achieve water quality benefits. In the last 5 years the installation of LID practices in the United States have grown tremendously. The purpose of this Thesis is to research the existing technology and implementation surrounding LID and document the findings to educate a variety of groups such as engineers, homebuilders, developers, homeowners, and scientists. Objectives of the research include indentifying LID practices appropriate for Oklahoma, developing comprehensive fact sheets on each practice for use in a future LID Manual, and identifying examples of LID practices currently in place in Oklahoma. Each chapter includes information on benefits, design, installation, cost, maintenance, and limitations of the following practices: rain gardens and bioretention cells, rainwater harvesting, pervious pavement, natural and engineered wetlands, and green roofs. Other chapters included are a comparison of traditional development to LID and pollutant source reduction. This series of fact sheets will provide a resource for the citizens of Oklahoma to utilize to determine if LID practices could be valuable to implement. |
