Stormwater and the Construction Industry
Construction Phasing
Maintain your BMPs!
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• Sequence construction activities so that the soil is not
exposed for long periods of time.
• Schedule or limit grading to small areas.
• Install key sediment control practices before site grading
begins.
• Schedule site stabilization activities, such as landscaping,
to be completed immediately after the land has been
graded to its final contour.
Protect Natural Features
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• Minimize clearing.
• Minimize the amount of exposed soil.
• Identify and protect areas where existing vegetation, such as
trees, will not be disturbed by construction activity.
• Protect streams, stream buffers, wild woodlands, wetlands,
or other sensitive areas from any disturbance or construction
activity by fencing or otherwise clearly marking these areas.
• Protect and install vegetative buffers along waterbodies to
slow and filter stormwater runoff.
• Maintain buffers by mowing or replanting periodically to
ensure their effectiveness.
Vegetative Buffers
• Inspect and maintain silt fences after each rainstorm.
• Make sure the bottom of the silt fence is buried in the ground.
• Securely attach the material to the stakes.
• Don’t place silt fences in the middle of a waterway or use them as
a check dam.
• Make sure stormwater is not flowing around the silt fence.
Site Stabilization
• Vegetate, mulch, or otherwise stabilize all exposed areas as
soon as land alterations have been completed.
Silt Fencing
• Use rock or other appropriate material to cover the storm
drain inlet to filter out trash and debris.
• Make sure the rock size is appropriate (usually
1 to 2 inches in diameter).
• If you use inlet filters, maintain them regularly.
• Cover or seed all dirt stockpiles.
Dirt Stockpiles
Storm Drain Inlet Protection
• Rough grade or terrace slopes.
• Break up long slopes with sediment barriers, or under
drain, or divert stormwater away from slopes.
• Remove mud and dirt from the tires of construction vehicles
before they enter a paved roadway.
• Properly size entrance BMPs for all anticipated vehicles.
• Make sure that the construction entrance does not become
buried in soil.
Slopes
Construction Entrances
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www. epa. gov/npdes /men uo fbmp s
