Development practices have been shown to significantly impact watersheds by increasing runoff and pollutant loading with impervious surfaces covering as little as 10% of the watershed (Schueler, 1994b). However, there are a wide variety of actions that can be taken to reduce the volume and rate of storm water runoff, as well as to reduce the amount of pollutants in the runoff. These actions are typically known as Best Management Practices, or BMPs.
One of the most important decisions developers face when building a new site is deciding what BMPs should be used to protect the waterways and environment surrounding a site, both during construction and after construction has been completed.
This site provides various fact sheets to help developers evaluate various BMPs and ultimately choose the best set of BMPs for their particular site. Check the links to the left for information regarding construction and post-construction BMPs, and Low Impact Development techniques.