7 Conservation Practices for Construction Sites and Disturbed Areas
7 Conservation Practices for Construction Sites and Disturbed Areas
Colby Moorberg
Abbreviations
NRCS – Natural Resources Conservation Service
PAM – Polyacrylaminde
PDF – Portable Document Format
RUSLE – Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation
SWPPP – Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan
URL – Uniform Resource Locator
US – United States
USDA – US Department of Agriculture
Erosion Control and Stormwater Pollution Prevention
US EPA. 2007. Developing Your Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan. 50. Washington, D.C.: EPA. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-10/documents/sw_swppp_guide.pdf.
This guide from the EPA is designed for construction site operators who control construction plans or supervise day-to-day construction site activities. The guide will help with developing a quality stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) and is applicable to any construction site required to comply with stormwater discharge requirements. The 50-page guide is divided into 9 chapters. Chapters 1 and 2 provide an overview and describe under what conditions an SWPPP is required. The guide then covers site assessment and planning; selecting erosion and sediment control best management practices; choosing good housekeeping best management practices; inspecting and maintaining an SWPPP as well as recordkeeping; certification and notification; implementation; and final stabilization and permit termination. The URL offers a direct download of a PDF of this resource.
US EPA. 2015, October 26. Developing a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP). https://www.epa.gov/npdes/developing-stormwater-pollution-prevention-plan-swppp.
This web page contains links to resources for developing an SWPPP. It contains the SWPPP guide described above (EPA 2007), as well as example SWPPPs for various scenarios. Each are available as PDF downloads.
USDA NRCS. 2000. Erosion and Sedimentation on Construction Sites. 5. Auburn, AL: USDA NRCS Soil Quality Institute. https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs142p2_053285.pdf.
This Urban Technical Note from the USDA NRCS Soil Quality Institute provides a brief description of erosion in the context of construction sites. This includes describing the on-site and off-site damage caused by erosion. The RUSLE model is described as an option for modeling erosion under different practices. The technical note also includes 13 principles for construction erosion control. The URL offers a direct download of a PDF of this resource.
Anionic Polyacrylamide Application
King, S., and R. McLaughlin. 2015. Fiber Check Dams and Polyacrylamide for Water Quality Improvement. Raleigh, NC: NC State University. https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/fiber-check-dams-and-polyacrylamide-for-water-quality-improvement.
In this Soil Facts extension bulletin from North Carolina State University, King and McLaughlin describe the use of fiber check dams as a best management practice for disturbed areas. It includes a spacing guide for fiber check dams of differe