LID in Connecticut – Are Designs Improving?

This case study will look at LID projects which have been designed and constructed in Connecticut since 2015. Prior to 2015, over 80% of the LID projects constructed to handle stormwater for residential and commercial projects failed within one year of being installed. This case study will look at projects which have been installed since 2015 and how they are functioning.
Several aspects of the LID projects will be evaluated, starting with the site investigation, the design, the installation, and lastly ongoing maintenance. A series of questions will be applied to each design:
Are designers doing a better job of siting LID practices on a site? Is the site investigation adequate for the design of the practice? Do the designs reflect the current state of knowledge in the LID field? Were the plans adequate to allow a contractor to install the system in the field and in accord with the design? Was the LID practice professionally installed in the field? Has maintenance been performed to ensure that the LID practice is functioning as designed?
After the criteria has been applied to each LID practices, a summary will be presented which looks at what was done correctly or not for each project. When deficiencies are found, a series of possible solutions to correct the deficiency will presented to improve the design in the future.
A discussion of the projects will be provided to ascertain why some projects worked and others did not. Is there a particular issue which caused a system to not function properly?