Village of North Barrington, Illinois Watershed BMP Handbook
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Village of North Barrington, Illinois Watershed BMP Handbook First Edition August 2010 Village of North Barrington Title Page Watershed BMP Handbook Village of North Barrington, Illinois Watershed BMP Handbook First Edition August 2010 Prepared By: Baxter & Woodman, Inc. 8678 Ridgefield Road Crystal Lake, IL 60012 The development of this Watershed BMP Handbook was facilitated by the Barrington Area Conservation Trust. It was funded as a cooperative effort between the Village of North Barrington, the Barrington Area Conservation Trust, the Barrington Area Council of Governments and the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission. This project was funded by a grant from the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission. The statements, findings and recommendations contained within are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission. Village of North Barrington Page i Village of North Barrington Foreword Watershed BMP Handbook Foreword Preface A watershed is all of the land that drains into a single body of water, such as a lake, stream or wetland. Because water generally flows downhill, watershed boundaries are typically located on top of ridges or hills. Rain that falls on one side of a watershed boundary will flow into one body of water, while rain that falls on the other side of a watershed boundary will flow into another. While watershed boundaries can be more difficult to identify in flat terrain, they still exist, often as subtle ridges that traverse the terrain. The Village of North Barrington lies within the Flint Creek Watershed. Before development, the Flint Creek Watershed was Watershed dominated by prairies, savannas, forests, (Source: Lane Council of Governments) marshes, wet meadows and other mature native plant communities. Much of the precipitation that fell during rain and snow events was absorbed by these native plant communities, where it was subjected to the runoff-reducing hydrologic processes of interception, evaporation, transpiration and infiltration. The small amount of precipitation that did leave the landscape as stormwater runoff was filtered by extensive wetlands that once existed along streams and other low-lying areas. The water that eventually made it to the streams, which, at the time, were little more than small, vegetated swales, exhibited excellent water quality. Today, the Flint Creek Watershed exhibits many of the same symptoms of urbanization that have been observed in other watersheds in northeastern Illinois and across the U.S. Many of its mature native plant communities have been replaced with turf grass and impervious cover, which has changed the hydrology of the watershed and has increased the amount of stormwater runoff leaving the landscape. As a result, many of its streams suffer from streambank erosion, sediment deposition, degraded in-stream habitat and poor water quality. All of these symptoms can be traced back to the changes in watershed hydrology caused by the land development process. This Watershed Best Management Practice (BMP) Handbook provides information about the various BMPs that can be used to protect and restore the Flint Creek Watershed and counteract many of the negative impacts of the land development process. Acknowledgements The development of this Watershed BMP Handbook was facilitated by the Barrington Area Conservation Trust. It was funded by a grant from the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission as a cooperative effort between the Village of North Barrington, the Barrington Area Conservation Trust, the Barrington Area Council of Governments and the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission. Individuals contributing to the development of this Handbook included: Michael Novotney (Baxter & Woodman, Inc.), Project Manager and Lead Author Page ii Village of North Barrington Foreword Watershed BMP Handbook The following individuals and organizations deserve special recognition, as they provided thoughtful comments and insights that helped improve the organization and utility of this Handbook: Kathy Nelander (Village of North Barrington) Nancy Schumm-Burgess (Barrington Area Conservation Trust) Patsy Mortimer (Flint Creek Watershed Partnership) Lake County Stormwater Management Commission The Flint Creek Watershed Partnership and the Barrington Area Conservation Trust also deserve special recognition, as they provided the photographs and images adorning the cover of this Handbook. The photographs depict watershed BMPs in and around the Village of North Barrington. Page iii Village of North Barrington Table of Contents Watershed BMP Handbook Table of Contents Title Page ....................................................................................................................................................... i Foreword ....................................................................................................................................................... ii Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 3 User’s Guide ................................................................................................................................................. 5 Pollution Prevention Practices ................................................................................................................... 8 Lawn Care ..................................................................................................................................................... 9 Landscape Management .............................................................................................................................. 12 Building Maintenance ................................................................................................................................. 15 Driveway Maintenance ............................................................................................................................... 17 Parking Lot Maintenance ............................................................................................................................ 19 Vehicle Maintenance .................................................................................................................................. 21 Waste Management ..................................................................................................................................... 23 Stormwater Management Practices ........................................................................................................ 25 Construction Stormwater Management Practices ................................................................................. 26 Erosion and Sediment Control .................................................................................................................... 27 Post-Construction Stormwater Management Practices ........................................................................ 30 Soil Amendments ........................................................................................................................................ 31 Native Landscaping .................................................................................................................................... 33 Green Roofs ................................................................................................................................................ 35 Permeable Pavement ................................................................................................................................... 37 Downspout Disconnection .......................................................................................................................... 41 Filter Strips.................................................................................................................................................. 44 Rain Barrels ................................................................................................................................................ 47 Rain Gardens ............................................................................................................................................... 50 Grass Channels............................................................................................................................................ 53 Dry Swales .................................................................................................................................................. 56 Wet Swales.................................................................................................................................................. 59 Dry-Bottom Detention Basins ..................................................................................................................... 62 Wet-Bottom Detention Basins .................................................................................................................... 65 Stormwater Wetlands .................................................................................................................................. 69 Detention Basin Retrofits ...........................................................................................................................