Construction activity pollution prevention

Intent

To reduce pollution from construction activities by controlling soil erosion, waterway sedimentation and airborne dust generation.

Requirements

Create and implement an erosion and sedimentation control plan for all construction activities associated with the project. The plan must conform to the erosion and sedimentation requirements of the 2003 EPA Construction General Permit OR local standards and codes, whichever is more stringent. The plan must describe the measures implemented to accomplish the following objectives:

• To prevent loss of soil during construction by stormwater runoff and/or wind erosion, including protecting topsoil by stockpiling for reuse.
• To prevent sedimentation of storm sewers or receiving streams.
• To prevent pollution of the air with dust and particulate matter.

The EPA’s construction general permit outlines the provisions necessary to comply with Phase I and Phase II of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program. While the permit only applies to construction sites greater than 1 acre, the requirements are applied to all projects for the purposes of this prerequisite. Information on the EPA construction general permit is available at http://cfpub.epa.gov/ npdes/stormwater/cgp.cfm.