Erosion is the detachment and transport of sediment particles caused by wind, rain, ice, and gravity. Sediment is a byproduct of erosion and is composed of organic and mineral particles that are suspended, transported and relocated from their origin. The deposition of these particles is called sedimentation.
Erosion is a natural event. It is a slow, uniform process that is essential for maintaining a balance between plant and animal life. It is a soil forming process. Human induced land disturbing activities such as construction or mining greatly accelerate the natural erosion process. Many studies have been done on our nations waterways and sediment has been found to be one of the top pollutants.
There are environmental and economic impacts to this accelerated erosion. Not only is the sediment itself a pollutant but various nutrients and toxins are attached to the soil particles and also carried into waterways. The sediment and other pollutants cause an unhealthy environment for fish and other aquatic organisms. Cleaning these waterways for recreational use and drinking water is extremely expensive.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the Clean Water Act which was put in place to restore and maintain the physical, chemical and biological properties of the nations waters. One small part of the Clean Water Act is the Construction Activity General Permit under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). This regulation requires any construction project that disturbs one acre or more obtain permit coverage under this NPDES program. To accomplish this, the permittee must prepare a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) that details the controls which are to be in place, inspected and maintained throughout the construction project to reduce or eliminate sediment and other pollutants from discharging into the waters of the United States (US). These controls or procedures that reduce or eliminate sediment and other pollutants from discharging to waters of the US are called Best Management Practices (BMPs).
Stormwater USA understands the regulations, what is required in a SWPPP, and stays up to date on the latest BMPs you can use to stay in compliance with the Stormwater regulation. The training and certifications you can receive from Stormwater USA will explain the regulatory requirements, walk you through the development of a SWPPP, explain techniques to perform site inspections and help the student understand how the different BMP controls work so they are properly installed and maintained.
If you are in a construction related field and work with or inspect construction sites and/or SWPPPs, let Stormwater USA help you become more competent and knowledgeable in your job so not only are the construction sites in compliance with the regulations but they are not discharging accelerated sediments and other pollutants into the nations waters. For more information, visit www.stormwaterusa.com.
About the author:
Laurie Demers has written many articles on various topics & this time writing article on Need for Stormwater Regulations and Training. For more details about Need for Stormwater Regulations and Training, please visit: http://www.stormwaterusa.com.
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