Californians look with hope to the much-needed rain and snow El Nino conditions could yield and to make the most of the precipitation, they need to use LIDs, or low-impact development technologies, that mimic pre-urban stream functions. Examples are green roofs that absorb and evapotranspire rainfall; rainwater tanks attached to homes and other buildings; and permeable pavement for roads, driveways and parking lots. Rainwater could even be used in the home for toilet flushing and laundry.
These are just some of the strategies suggested by Stanley Grant, professor of civil & environmental engineering at the University of California, Irvine, and academics from UCI, UCLA and UC San Diego, and Australia’s University of Melbourne; water managers from Orange County Public Works; and engineers from consulting firm Michael Baker International to examine how urban population centers could better meet water supply needs while protecting natural stream ecosystems. Read more at the University of California, Irvine website.