Construction

Overview

• Importance of construction inspections
• Contractor familiarity
• What you can expect from STEP guidance: practical advice, specific to LID, practical advice on how to ensure successful construction

Construction stages

STEP divides the construction process for LID practices into five over-arching stages:

1. Pre-construction
2. Excavation and grading
3. Backfill granular, utilities, and pipes
4. Finishing grades: inlet, outlet, and surface layer
5. Post-construction

Stages 1-3 and 5 of the LID construction process are fundamentally similar for all surface-level LID types. To illustrate, STEP's recommended processes for excavation do not differ depending on the practice type. Excavation is excavation, whether it is for a bioretention garden or a permeable paver parking lot. On the other hand, stage 4 sub-tasks will vary substantially from practice to practice, as do some sub-tasks in stage 3. The following paragraphs give a brief explanation of each over-arching stage.

Pre-construction

Pre-construction activities set the stage for the successful construction of an LID practice. The pre-construction stage begins by field-verifying the design when it is at the 90% completion stage.

Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Program

Low Impact Development. A stormwater management strategy that seeks to mitigate the impacts of increased urban runoff and stormwater pollution by managing it as close to its source as possible. It comprises a set of site design approaches and small scale stormwater management practices that promote the use of natural systems for infiltration and evapotranspiration, and rainwater harvesting.

Gravel, or crushed stone of various size gradations (i.e., diameter), used in construction; void forming material used as bedding and runoff storage reservoirs and underdrains in stormwater infiltration practices.

A shallow excavated surface depression containing prepared filter media, mulch, and planted with selected vegetation.