Construction Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs)
Adapted from "Developing Educational Tools for Sustainable Stormwater Management." Find the full report here.
Construction activities that disturb one or more acres of land must obtain a stormwater permit to be authorized under the Utah Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (UPDES). These permits are required to help prevent construction site stormwater discharges from negatively impacting applicable state water quality standards. When it rains or snows, water flows over disturbed soil surfaces, creating stormwater runoff. This runoff picks up loose sediment, debris, and other pollutants and transports them to nearby municipal storm sewer systems or directly to waterbodies. Excess sediment in waterbodies can have adverse impacts on aquatic life and drinking water supplies; whereas sediment, debris, and pollutants can be harmful to both human and wildlife health as well as difficult to remove from community water supplies.
Proper stormwater controls are critical for stopping these pollutants from entering waterways and the surrounding environment to protect Utah's water. Best management practices (BMPs) are techniques used to minimize the water quality impacts from construction activities. Construction project managers can include BMPs in their project’s stormwater prevention plan to help protect water sources, prevent pollution, control erosion, and better meet permit requirements. It is best to identify BMPs before a construction project begins for more effective stormwater management on site. Individual practices or a combination of BMPs can help prevent degradation to waterbodies across the state due to development. Effective stormwater management is critical to avoid the expensive and difficult task of restoring impaired waters.
The following fact sheet includes a list of BMPs compiled from the Utah Division of Water Quality (DWQ) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The information for each BMP provides a brief overview, considerations, and additional benefits other than protecting waterways. The list includes BMPs for:
- General waste management
- Sediment control
- Erosion control
- Links to additional BMPs and resources
References
EPA. (n.d.). National Menu of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Stormwater-Construction. https://www.epa.gov/npdes/national-menu-best-management-practices-bmps-stormwater-construction
EPA. (2021). Stormwater Best Management Practice - Construction Track-out Controls [Fact sheet]. https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-11/bmp-construction-track-out-controls.pdf
EPA. (2021). Stormwater Best Management Practice - Dust Control [Fact sheet]. https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-11/bmp-dust-control.pdf
EPA. (2021). Stormwater Best Management Practice - General Construction Site Waste Management [Fact sheet]. https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-11/bmp-general-construction-site-waste-management.pdf
EPA. (2021). Stormwater Best Management Practice - Mulching [Fact sheet]. https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-11/bmp-mulching.pdf
EPA. (2021). Stormwater Best Management Practice - Permanent Seeding [Fact sheet]. https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-11/bmp-seeding.pdf
EPA. (2021). Stormwater Best Management Practice - Silt Fences [Fact sheet]. https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-11/bmp-silt-fences.pdf
EPA. (2021). Stormwater Best Management Practice - Storm Drain Inlet Protection [Fact sheet]. https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-11/bmp-storm-drain-inlet-protection.pdf
EPA. (2021). Stormwater Best Management Practice - Temporary Slope Drains [Fact sheet]. https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-11/bmp-temporary-slope-drain.pdf
EPA. (2021). Stormwater Best Management Practice - Vegetated Buffers [Fact sheet]. https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-11/bmp-vegetated-buffers.pdf
Utah Department of Environmental Quality. (n.d.). Best Management Practices for Construction Sites. https://deq.utah.gov/sbeap/best-management-practices-for-construction-sitesAuthors
Lauren Houskeeper, Science Communicator, Environmental Educator
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