MIDS Calculator land cover summary
Link to this table

Land cover Description
Forest/open space The undisturbed area, protected/open space or reforested land. This includes any forested or open space area protected during construction and that will remain undisturbed or will not be routinely mowed, but instead left in a natural vegetative state.
Managed turf
  • The disturbed area, graded for yards or other turf to be mowed/managed. This includes any turf areas that are intended to be mowed and maintained as turf within residential, commercial, industrial, institutional settings, and road right-of ways.
  • BMP surface areas should also be included in this classification except for green roofs, permeable pavement, constructed wetlands, and constructed stormwater ponds.
Impervious cover
  • A surface that prevents the infiltration of rainfall and results in an increased volume of surface runoff. This includes roadways, driveways, rooftops, parking lots, sidewalks, and other areas that replace an otherwise pervious surface.
  • A green roof and permeable pavement should be entered as impervious surface.
  • Open water surfaces should not be included in impervious cover, or in any other cover type. The calculator uses the conservative assumption that precipitation and evapotranspiration at the surface of these systems are neutralizing and that pollutant load additions from precipitation alone are minimal

This page was last edited on 4 August 2022, at 14:44.