Low Impact Development Manual for the Lower Maumee and Ottawa River Watersheds

This manual is written to provide stormwater managers and site designers with a common understanding of Low Impact Development (LID) goals and objectives, site assessment considerations, and a toolbox of stormwater Best Management Practices (BMP) applicable to the Lower Maumee and Ottawa River watersheds. BMP information includes design guidelines, specifications, details, and maintenance concerns as well as assistance in selecting the BMPs based on the unique characteristics of a particular site. This is a technical manual and the information provided is targeted toward engineers, planners, landscape architects, and technical staff, as well as policy makers and developers.

In addition, this manual will help to foster a watershed approach to improving water quality within the region. With this understanding, the manual focuses on stormwater BMPs that apply across the two watersheds, ranging from using vegetated buffers in agricultural areas to vegetated roofs in urban areas. The aspiration is to create a user-friendly watershed-wide LID Manual to help protect the rivers and streams within the Lower Maumee and Ottawa River watersheds.