Research historical climate records to understand expected storm event frequency, intensity, and duration.

Research local regulations on the stormwater quality requirements, as well as regulations on the collection, storage and reuse of stormwater, including water rights.

Familiarize yourself with natural hydrology, site topography and soil infiltration rates by conducting site visits and tests. Confirm that soils are capable of infiltrating 90% of annual rainfall. If the porous site area cannot infiltrate 90% of rainfall, you will need to add structural controls or soil amendments to achieve the target.

Indirect benefits of stormwater systems are just as real as direct costs to the project, but can be harder to quantify. These include issues like reducing the burden on the municipal system; reducing contaminants in waterways; reducing peak runoff, making stream habitats more consistent; reducing the temperature of runoff, which improves the conditions for aquatic life; and reducing erosion. If your municipal codes are more stringent and come with higher fees, there may be a more direct cost benefit to the project from stormwater mitigation.

Make sure that all team members understand landscape and hardscape tradeoffs. All team members should know how these details affect stormwater generation, runoff, and possible capture, treatment, and reuse strategies.

Use an integrated design strategy to improve the quality of stormwater runoff. True integration requires the input and collaboration of the entire site team, including the civil engineer, landscape architect and architect. Don’t leave stormwater management solely in the hands of the civil engineer.

Using site space for stormwater management is often a must. Architects and owners may see stormwater best management practices (BMPs) as wasting valuable land—a mentality that can make this credit difficult. It may help to stress that stormwater BMPs can act as aesthetic features that enhance the quality of the site and add value to the project. Creative, integrated approaches can even reduce space-hogging, unattractive strategies like detention ponds while adding amenities with multiple benefits, like green roofs.

Overlapping strategies and technologies address SSc6.1: Stormwater Design—Quantity, as well as SSc6.2. Vegetative swales, for example, can contribute to both credits—integrate the requirements of both for best results. Keep in mind, however, that each credit requires different calculations and methodologies. Reducing the quantity of stormwater runoff for SSc6.1 does not always equate to a quality improvement for SSc6.2.

The easiest way to earn this credit is through decreasing your project’s impervious area by reducing the building footprint, increasing landscaped areas, and disconnecting impervious areas—designing sidewalks, roofs, and parking areas so that the runoff is not directed to a drainage system or other hardscapes. Use natural infiltration, promoted by strategies like green roofs, downspout disconnection (disconnecting the downspouts so that runoff is directed to softscape area instead of storm drains), softscapes, bioswales, porous paving, and rain gardens.

Explore low-impact development strategies such as bioretention, vegetated swales, a green roof, rainwater cisterns, and porous pavement. These strategies  reduce hardscape and impervious areas, thereby reducing runoff. Some strategies such as green roofs and rainwater cisterns have space needs, so be sure to consider their requirements. The owner and civil engineer should work together to determine the feasibility and rough cost increase of including rainwater cisterns or a green roof.