StormwaterPollutionPrevention GuideFOR CONSTRUCTIONINDUSTRY

Protect your business, your clients and your reputation by installing and maintainingconstruction site stormwater bestmanagement practices (BMPs) properly.

You’ll not only avoid fines and workstoppages, you’ll be protecting thewaterways your community depends on, and earning a well deserved reputation.

For more information visit:www.neponsetstormwater.org

Brought to you by the Neponset Stormwater Partnership, a joint effort of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, the Neponset River Watershed Association, and the municipalities of Boston, Canton, Dedham, Foxboro, Medfield, Milton, Norwood, Sharon, Stoughton, Randolph, Walpole and Westwood.

Stormwater and the Construction Industry

IMAGE

IMAGE

Protect Natural Features

Bad

Good• 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 marlking these areas.

IMAGE

IMAGE

Construction Phasing

Bad

Good• Sequence construction activities so that the soil is

not exposed forlong periods of time.• Schedule or limit grading to small areas.• Install key sediment control practices before site

grading begins.• Schedule site stabilization, such as landscaping, to

be completed immediately after the land has been graded to its final contour.

Maintain your BMPs!www.neponsetstormwater.org

Bad

Good• Protect and install vegetative buffers along water-

bodies to slow and filter stormwater runoff.• Maintain buffers by mowing or replanting periodi-

cally to ensure their effectiveness.

Silt Fencing

Bad

Good• 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. Storm Drain Inlet Protection

Bad

Good• 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.

Construction Entrances

Bad

Good• 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

Bad

Good• Rough grade or terrace slopes.• Break up long slopes with sediment barriers, or

under drain, or divert stormwater away from slopes.

Bad

Dirt Stockplies

Good• Cover or seed all dirt stockpiles.

Site Stabilization

Bad

Good• Vegetate, mulch, or otherwise stabilize all exposed

areas as soon as land alterations have been com-pleted.

Vegetative Buffers

PlaceStampHere

Learn more by visiting w

ww

.nep

on

setstorm

water.o

rg

We’re w

orking with your tow

n to reduce stormw

ater pollution.

Co

nstru

ction

Sto

rmw

ater

pol

lutio

n is

the

bact

eria

, che

mic

als,

m

etal

s, n

utrie

nts

and

othe

r co

ntam

inan

ts th

at

was

h do

wn

stor

mdr

ains

and

into

wat

erw

ays.

Sto

rmw

ater

P

ollu

tio

nP

reve

nti

on

Gu

ide

Co

nst

ruct

ion

The federal E

PA

will soon be im

posing requirements

on municipal storm

water system

s, which m

ay be very costly for tow

ns to implem

ent.

Minim

izing the pollutants that run off of your worksite

and into stormdrains m

ay reduce the need for towns

to raise revenue to comply w

ith these new federal

rules.

Taking low

cost actions now m

ay result in significant future savings for you in the future.

Storm

water runoff from

construction activities is regulated because it can have a significant im

pact on w

ater quality by contributing sediment and other

pollutants to creeks, streams, lakes, etc.

In order to discharge stormw

ater from a construction

site, all construction projects that disturb one acre or m

ore of land must have either:

• an individual stormw

ater permit, or

• coverage under US

EP

A’s general perm

it

Disturbance includes, but is not lim

ited to soil distur-bance, clearing, grading, and excavation. O

pera-tors of sites disturbing less than one acre are also required to obtain a perm

it if their activity is part of a “larger com

mon plan of developm

ent or sale” with a

planned disturbance of one acre or greater.

In addition to these statewide rules, you m

ay be required to m

eet additional local stormw

ater and erosion control regulations. C

heck w

ith yo

ur city

or co

un

ty go

vernm

ent to

determ

ine if ad

ditio

nal

local ru

les app

ly to yo

ur co

nstru

ction

pro

ject.

Lear

n m

ore

abou

t pre

vent

ing

stor

mw

ater

pol

lutio

n:w

ww

.nep

on

sets

torm

wat

er.o

rg

You

can

hel

p to

pro

tect

lo

cal w

ater

way

s fr

om

cont

amin

ants

by

elim

inat

ing

prac

tices

that

con

trib

ute

tost

orm

wat

er p

ollu

tion.

Pic

king

up

afte

r pe

ts a

nd

disp

osin

g of

was

te in

a

tras

h ca

n is

a g

reat

sta

rt!

Co

mm

on

sto

rmw

ater

po

lluta

nts

incl

ud

e:A

ntifr

eeze

, Det

erge

nts,

Fer

tiliz

ers,

Gas

olin

e,

Hou

seho

ld C

hem

ical

s,

Mot

or O

il, P

aint

s,P

estic

ides

, Pet

Was

te,

Roa

d S

alt,

Sol

vent

s,Y

ard

Was

te

Man

y fo

lks

don’

t mak

e th

e co

nnec

tion

that

sto

rm

drai

ns a

nd w

ater

way

s ar

e co

nnec

ted.

Eve

ry ti

me

som

ethi

ng g

ets

was

hed

dow

n a

stor

mdr

ain,

it c

an

affe

ct th

e cl

eanl

ines

s an

d he

alth

of t

he w

ater

that

w

e re

ly o

n fo

r dr

inki

ng

and

recr

eatio

n.

Pre

vent

ing

stor

mw

ater

pol

lutio

n he

lps

to

keep

our

wat

erw

ays

clea

n fo

r fut

ure

gene

ratio

ns.

Co

nsi

der

yo

ur

acti

on

s an

d d

o y

ou

r p

art

for

clea

n w

ater

.

nepo

nset

stor

mw

ater

part

ners

hip