Bonita Bay Group (www.BonitaBayGroup.com) has created a low-impact design (LID) team to share information and develop techniques that will enhance existing environmental practices and programs while identifying new ideas for responsible land use.

The group of experts consists of environmental engineers, ecological consultants, South Florida Water Management District, Lee County commissioner Ray Judah and a multidisciplinary team from Bonita Bay Group.

The team recently worked with Conservation Design Forum, a Chicago-based community planning, ecological restoration, and water resource and ecological engineering firms.

“I am impressed with the brain trust assembled to be a part of this team,” said Kitty Green, president/CEO of Bonita Bay Group. “These experts are creative, innovate and will ensure that we are taking the best approach to improve the water quality of the Caloosahatchee River and Southwest Florida.”

During a recent integrated ecological design and hydrology workshop, the team used the North River Village site along the river as the case study to evaluate opportunities and constraints for implementation of low-impact design techniques and state-of-the-art surface water management system design scenarios.

LID incorporates development in harmony with a site’s existing natural features while employing pollution prevention measures. A menu of environmental features ranging from pervious pavement to bioswales was developed and will be further evaluated for feasibility and effectiveness on new development in the Caloosahatchee basin.

“We want to push the envelope; to raise the standards for future development in the entire river corridor,” said Dennis Church, vice president of planning and development, Bonita Bay Group. “One of our goals is to develop best management practices that will help the impaired water body.”

Developments will need to be designed with a greater emphasis on water quality and conservation by using ecologically and fiscally sustainable rainwater management systems. “We want to show that developers can improve and preserve the quality of natural waterways, lakes and underground water supplies by reducing the contaminants carried by storm water runoff,” added Church.