Are LID BMPs reliable if they depend on property owners maintaining their on-site practices?
Opponents of the residential use of LID BMPs have tried to simplify the approach by characterizing it as only relying on rain gardens and rain barrels that will not be maintained by the property owner. LID BMPs are much more than this. They are a comprehensive multi-system approach that has built-in redundancy, which greatly reduces the possibility of failure. Many LID BMP techniques have nothing to do with nor can they be significantly influenced by the behavior of the property owner. These include basic subdivision and infrastructure design features such as reducing the use of pipes, ponds, curbs and gutters; maintaining recharge areas, buffer zones, and drainage courses; using infiltration swales, grading strategies, and open drainage systems; reducing impervious surfaces and disconnecting those that must be used; and conserving open space. The long-term success of LID BMPs has much more to do with the knowledge, skills, and creativity of the site designers than what the property ow
