Importance of Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) for construction site

A SWPPP is required (by your construction general permit) and will help you prevent stormwater pollution. SWPPP is used to identify all potential pollution sources that could come into contact with stormwater leaving your site. It describes the BMPs you will use to reduce pollutants in your construction site’s stormwater discharges, and it includes written records of your site inspections and the follow-up maintenance that is performed.

SWPPP Objectives

The SWPPP Plans outlines the steps you will take to comply with the terms and conditions of your construction general permit. Keeping the following objectives in mind as you develop your SWPPP will help guide you in addressing your permit requirements and in protecting water quality.

• Stabilize the site as soon as possible. Get your site to final grade and either permanently or temporarily stabilize all bare soil areas as soon as possible. Take into consideration germination times for the grasses or other vegetation selected, and provide additional stabilization (mulches, matrices, blankets, soil binders) on erosionprone areas such as slopes and drainage ways. Also consider seasonal limitations to plant establishment and growth, such as drought or cold temperatures, and make an effort to ensure that areas that are not showing adequate vegetation establishment are reseeded or mulched immediately. Areas needed for future roads, construction, or other purposes should be temporarily stabilized. Establishing a vegetated cover on as much of the site as possible will help to minimize erosion and sediment problems. Perimeter controls should remain in place until final stabilization has been achieved.

• Protect slopes and channels. Convey concentrated stormwater runoff around the top of slopes and stabilize slopes as soon as possible. This can be accomplished using pipe slope drains or earthen berms

that will convey runoff around the exposed slope. Avoid disturbing natural channels and the vegetation along natural channels, if possible.

• Reduce impervious surfaces and promote infiltration. Reducing impervious surfaces will ultimately reduce the amount of runoff leaving your site. Also, divert runoff from rooftops and other impervious

surfaces to vegetated areas when possible to promote infiltration.

• Control the perimeter of your site. Divert stormwater coming on to your site by conveying it safely around, through, or under your site. Avoid allowing run-on to contact disturbed areas of the construction site. For the runoff from the disturbed areas of the site, install BMPs such as silt fences to capture sediment before it leaves your site.

• Protect receiving waters adjacent to your site. Erosion and sediment controls are used around the entire site, but operators should consider additional controls on areas that are adjacent to receiving waters or other environmentally sensitive areas.

• Follow pollution prevention measures. Provide proper containers for waste and garbage at your site. Store hazardous materials and chemicals so that they are not exposed to stormwater.

• Minimize the area and duration of exposed soils. Clearing only land that will be under construction in the near future, a practice known as construction phasing, can reduce off-site sediment loads by 36% for a typical subdivision (Claytor 2000). Additionally, minimizing the duration of soil exposure by stabilizing soils quickly can reduce erosion dramatically.

Author Bio :

To conclude, proper development and implementation of your SWPPP is crucial. The Federal stormwater experts of Quest Consultants are experienced in the development of SWPPPs for industrial facilities. At Quest Consultants, SWPPP Professionals assist clients in better understanding all aspects of SWPPP management through onsite training and education services. To know more, visit our website.