SEBAGO LAKE Sebago Lake A Low Impact

ECOLOGY CENTER’S Ecology Center’s Development

PERVIOUS PATHWAY Pervious Pathway Demonstration
A LID DEMONSTRATION
Low Impact Development (LID) strategies are those
that manage stormwater by keeping it on site.
Sebago Lake Welcome to the Ecology Center’s new
Rather than shedding water and adding sediments
and pollutants to stormdrains, LIDs mimic nature’s
Ecology Center’s demonstration of LID methods. This brochure
way of handling precipitation by infiltrating, filtering,
storing, evaporating, and/or detaining runoff on the
Pervious Pathway allows you to take a self-guided tour of the
ground. A Low Impact various installations. For more detailed
Typical land development involves clearing a site of Development information, please see any of the District
vegetation, grading it, and then installing impervious Demonstration
surfaces such as roads, parking lots, utilities, rooftops Staff on site. We are happy to help you
and sidewalks. Heavy equipment compacts soils,
rendering them useless for infiltration. Impervious protect water quality!
surfaces shed large amounts of water, sending that
water down
stormdrains and FOR MORE INFORMATION:
then “away.” UPLAND/ ENTRANCE SIDE OF THE
Impervious surfaces Portland Water District: ECOLOGY CENTER BUILDING:
shed up to 20 to www.pwd.org
30 times more Casco Bay Estuary Partnership:
stormwater than www.cascobay.usm.maine.edu DRYWELLS
Consist of an excavated pit filled with small stone. Drywells
undeveloped land! Low Impact Development Center:
www.lowimpactdevelopment.org effectively collect and infiltrate runoff at gutter downspouts.
Under natural These systems help control erosive runoff on your property,
conditions—before development—most of the rainfall and reduce wear on your house by minimizing back splash.
seeps through the ground (infiltrates), evaporates, or Drywells work best in sand and gravelly soils that can
is used by vegetation. LIDs work to restore an area’s quickly disperse a large volume of water.
natural hydrology.

LID is a new set of tools to improve how we develop

land and manage runoff in the Sebago Lake and
Casco Bay watersheds.
PERVIOUS GRASS PAVER PARKING AREA
In 2007, PWD received a grant from Casco Bay To reduce pollution, hard-surfaced parking areas should be
Estuary Project Low Impact Development Fund to minimized. Certainly, paved areas promote runoff, but
install LID demonstrations at vehicle weights can compact unpaved areas until they, too,
the Sebago Lake Ecology become impervious.
Center. Here, visitors can see
for themselves how the various Grass pavers are an excellent new technology to create
methods look “on the ground.” permeable pavements.

Grass pavers begin with a grid-like honeycomb structure. INFILTRATION STEPS

Once this grid is installed, gravel, sand, and topsoil are are a good alternative to cement steps or compacted slopes.
PWD PHOTO

PORTLAND WATER DISTRICT added-then grass is planted. The grid system protects the This system uses crushed stone to slow down and infiltrate
grass roots from compaction so that they collect and hold runoff. They are effective on moderate slopes.
1 WHITE ROCK ROAD
stormwater, reduce runoff, and keep a natural look to the
STANDISH, ME 04084 PRODUCED BY:
area. The end product is a very durable, grass covered,
1-207-774-5961 Portland Water District
pavement-like area that helps to protect water quality.
Casco Bay Estuary Partnership
SEBAGO LAKE ECOLOGY CENTER’S PERVIOUS PATHWAY
A LOW IMPACT DEVELOPMENT DEMONSTRATION
OPEN TOP CULVERT RAIN BARRELS
A typical (20 x 50) roof sheds 600
RAIN GARDENS An open-top culvert 7 gallons of water during a 1” rainstorm!
3 intercepts water traveling Rain barrels provide an attractive way
Rain gardens are attractive and
down driveways, footpaths, to capture that rainwater and store it
EROSION CONTROL MIX functional landscaped areas that are
trails and other areas and
designed to capture and filter for later use. Water collected from rain
Erosion Control Mix (ECM) is a kind of mulch made of partially
diverts it into stable vegetated barrels can be used to water lawns,
composted bark, sand, gravel, stone and wood fragments. It is stormwater from roofs, driveways,
areas where it can be gardens, and indoor plants. This water 12
much heavier than other types of mulch and its mixture of and other hard surfaces. They collect
absorbed. would otherwise run off your roof or
elongated fibers, gravel and soil lock together to protect the water in bowl-shaped vegetated areas, through downspouts and become stormwater, picking up
underlying soil from erosion. Like other mulches, it also retains and allow it to slowly soak into the pollutants on its way to a storm drain, stream, or lake. You
moisture, controls weeds and ground. This reduces the potential for erosion and minimizes the SUPERHUMUS can lower your water bill, conserve well water in the dry
improves the soil as it amount of pollutants flowing from your lawn into a storm drain, and Superhumus is a finer grade of season, and reduce polluted stormwater runoff.
decomposes. It can be used on 1 eventually into our streams and lakes. Erosion Control Mix that works
paths, slopes and between well in a more landscaped RIPRAP
plantings. ECM is the most 10 CRUSHED STONE AND GRAVEL setting. Some people choose to Riprap is an engineered
effective mulch for erosion control Crushed stone and/or Gravel can provide 4 top-dress the chunky ECM with a solution that uses rock used to
purposes. attractive pathway materials to prevent runoff few inches of Superhumus‘ for a armor shorelines or stream
9 banks against water erosion.
and erosion. The many spaces between stones more finished appearance.
will hold water, allowing slower percolation 6 Riprap reduces water erosion 13
GRASS PAVERS into the ground. Crushed stone comes in a by absorbing or redirecting the
Grass pavers make excellent 2 variety of sizes, and can even be tumbled 8 DRIPLINE TRENCHES energy of flowing water or
pathway materials. They allow waves. The shape of rock is
smooth to form more decorative pea-stone Dripline trenches collect and
infiltration, look natural, and
infiltrate stormwater, and control important. Coarse, angular rock,
can handle foot traffic easily.
NO MOW ZONE erosive runoff from the rooftop. usually made by crushing or
A "no-mow" zone, allows The trenches collect roof runoff blasting, is more effective at
grasses, shrubs and local and store it until it soaks into the slope reinforcement than
naturally seeding plants to grow, 5 soil. These systems also minimize round rock. A correct
11 mixture of aggregate size
providing food for birds and wear on your house by reducing
12 13
other critters. Along a lake, back splash. Dripline trenches can also aid riprap's
stream, or wetland, create a work best in sand and gravel soils that can quickly disperse a large ability to create an
1 buffer by simply not mowing along the shoreline. Turf grasses will volume of water. interlocking structure.
grow 12-24 inches tall before going to seed. Creating a curving edge
that separates the buffer from your lawn and any pathways to the
water will also give your property a pleasing, natural appearance. 11
3 Over time, shrubs and trees will naturally fill in and provide a more
diverse plant cover. 10
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