Effectiveness of environmental site design in protecting stream channel stability

Abstract

Environmental site design (ESD) seeks to minimize the impacts of urbanization on stream systems by conserving natural drainage features, minimizing the use of impervious surfaces, and slowing runoff through the use of infiltration-based stormwater management practices to increase lag time, infiltration, and evapotranspiration. While there are numerous studies documenting improvements at the level of individual stormwater control measures (also known as best management practices or BMPs), fewer studies have evaluated benefits at the watershed level. The goal of this project was to compare the impacts of different types of stormwater management on watershed hydrology and channel stability.