LID Working Group

COMPOSITION

The Low Impact Development/ Green Infrastructure Working Group (LIDWIG) members include local governments, non-profits, consultants, and academics with a focus on local arid LID projects.  Partners include Tucson Water's Storm 2 Shade program, Pima County, Regional Flood Control District, Pima Association of Governments, Watershed Management Group, University of Arizona, Tucson Clean and Beautiful's Trees for Tucson program, and more. 

We frequently meet jointly with Arizona State University's Sustainable Cities Network through their statewide Green Infrastructure Working Group as well as the local Santa Cruz Watershed Collaborative's One Water Working Group.

DEFINITIONS

LID is a term we use to describe a land planning and engineering design approach to manage stormwater runoff as part of Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) that emphasizes features that protect, restore, or mimic the natural water cycle. LID/GI practices may include porous pavements, infiltration planters, curb inlets, onsite rainwater harvesting or stormwater capture, tree plantings, or preserving natural landscape features, among other techniques. LID/GI can improve water quality, lower urban temperatures, mitigate flooding, increase habitat, and reduce potable water consumption. 

PURPOSE

In our community of practice, through workshops and meetings, we identify the region’s assets, and gaps, and forge pathways toward shared goals and regional consistency. Each working group participant may present information on a project they need feedback or collaboration on or request a presentation they want to learn from. It helps us to reduce redundancy, build off each other’s work, stay relevant and current, and continue learning. Vision and goals are included on the Group Management tab.  

HISTORY

We specifically gather to grow institutional knowledge and practices that apply to our unique desert setting, since much of the federal guidance grew out of climates with more precipitation, deep soils, separated sanitary and storm sewers, and dense, leafy vegetation. After the City-County Water and Wastewater Infrastructure, Supply, and Planning Study called for the creation of a collaborative group for LID, the Regional Flood Control District (RFCD) initiated the Working Group effort in 2011 and since 2015 a collaboration of leaders in the field of green infrastructure has taken turns hosting and coordinating it including PAG, Tucson Water, Pima County, and UArizona.

MEETINGS

We meet monthly in virtual meetings. Please take a look at the Group Management tab for organizational tools including vision and goals statements, meeting topics schedule, minutes and agendas, and the listserv.

PRODUCTS

We've worked on many collaborative products led by various partners in the group including City/County Policy Guides, Manuals, Case Studies, several Workshops, cost-benefit studies, PAG Regional Council Resolutions, interactive mapping tools, and outreach. See the Regional Resources tab for more products from partners. Detailed Action Plan and Goals (last updated June 2019)

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

• Preserve, enhance, and restore canopy, Sonoran Desert habitat, and natural drainages (washes, creeks, and landscapes)

• Use grey infrastructure as the overflow approach (not the primary system)

• Emphasize harvesting efforts at the top of a watershed (less volume and velocity)

• Use non-potable water sources before importing water sources (except short-term to establish trees)

• Daylight flows (visible water flow systems are easier to connect to and maintain than underground conveyance)

• Convert and decrease connectivity of impervious space

• Demonstrate with public GI model installations 

• Increase GI capacity through training and jobs (especially in low-income/vulnerable/youth/and people of color communities)

• Please see the Indigenous Acknowledgment page and Group Management page for more on our guiding principles for our work and gatherings.

COMMON ASPIRATIONS

• Sustain our creeks, green space, and current tree canopy through climate change using nature-based green stormwater infrastructure solutions

• Create a target of 15-25% average tree shade cover over the full urban area (the current average is 8%) (recommended for desert cities by American Forests)

• Increase green stormwater infrastructure in areas with vulnerable people and ecosystems as a first priority, where desired, increasing access to nature and benefits in disadvantaged communities

•  Utilize street runoff wherever feasible to support vegetation and achieve a goal of capturing the sum of new runoff created by hardscapes to restore natural runoff and infiltration rates in urban areas of the region

•  Irrigate the majority of new trees using stormwater infiltration basin, berm, or similar features

•  Restore washes and river floodplains using green stormwater infrastructure 

CONTACT