Planning And Design
Why is Pre-Construction Planning & Design Important?
- Transforming land from one use to another use may influence the quality of storm water runoff from that area. For example, a vegetated or forested area converted to an area covered primarily by impervious surfaces will result in a larger volume and increased velocity of storm water runoff that may contain pollutants.
- Pollutants measured in storm water runoff typically include nitrogen, phosphorus, metals, sediment, and pesticides. To minimize the impacts on water quality, storm water runoff needs to be managed and treated prior to it entering streams and Lake Whatcom.
- Storm water management and treatment begins on-site with the planning of the development, whether it’s a single-family residence, multi-family development, or a commercial facility.
- Pre-construction planning and design may help reduce building costs in several ways, such as, savings on:
- Drainage-related costs often associated with site clearing and grading
- Final landscaping by retaining natural vegetation
- Storm water fees by reducing the amount of impervious surface on site
What Can I Do?
- Tailor your project to site conditions and avoid unnecessary land disturbances, which will help maintain topsoil and preserve natural drainage systems.
- Incorporating designs into your development that reduce impervious surfaces will also provide water quality benefits.
- If you are planning a multi-home development consider a Low Impact Development, which is an approach to land planning and engineering with a goal of minimizing impacts of urbanization on the natural water processes that occur within a watershed.
