Resource Center
Stormwater BMP Best Practices for Construction Sites
Effective stormwater BMP management is as much about sequencing and maintenance discipline as it is about which BMPs are installed.
Install Before Disturbance Begins
Perimeter and sediment controls should be installed and functional before the first significant land-disturbing activity occurs on a given area — not retrofitted after grading has already exposed soil to the next rain event.
Size to Actual Drainage Area
Sediment basins, traps, and other capacity-based BMPs need to be sized to the actual contributing drainage area, accounting for how that area will grow as the site develops in phases — not just the conditions present on day one.
Match BMP Selection to Flow Conditions
Sheet flow, concentrated flow, and channel flow each call for different BMP types. Using a sheet-flow control like standard silt fence at a concentrated flow point is one of the more common mismatches that leads to early BMP failure.
Inspect on a Fixed Schedule, Not Just When It's Convenient
Routine periodic inspections combined with inspections following qualifying rainfall events — as required under the active NPDES CGP — catch problems while they're still cheap to fix, rather than after a discharge has already occurred.
Track Stabilization by Area, Not by Project
On multi-phase sites, areas that reach final grade should be stabilized within the permit-required timeframe even if other parts of the project remain active — waiting for the whole site to finish before stabilizing anything is a common and avoidable compliance gap.
Have a question about your project?
Tell us about your site and we'll follow up with scope and next steps.