The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides numerous instructional resources for developing effective Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPP), as a part of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and the NPDES Stormwater Program. Rain events and other precipitation events generate stormwater runoff. Further, temperature events and subsequent snowmelt events also generate stormwater runoff.
Stormwater Runoff Impacts
As stormwater runoff flows over land masses and other impervious surfaces, such as paved streets, parking lots, and building rooftops, it accumulates pollutants such as chemicals, debris and sediment that can cause negative impacts to our environmental and natural resources:
- Harm inland and coastal waters;
- Change hydrology and water quality;
- Cause habitat modification and loss;
- Increase flooding;
- Decrease aquatic biological diversity, and;
- Increase sedimentation and erosion.
Best Management Practices
As a result, construction companies and other stakeholders in the built environment use stormwater controls, also referred to Best Management Practices (BMPs) by the EPA.
Accordingly, BMPs help to filter pollutants and to prevent pollution, by controlling it at its source, such as at the construction site. The EPA authorizes a majority of states to implement and administer the NPDES stormwater permitting program, including for regulated construction- and industrial-stormwater discharges. However, in some states and territories in the US, the EPA remains the authority for the NPDES stormwater permitting program.
Further, refer to the following CGP and MSGP Coverage Areas link and table: Authorization Status for EPA’s Stormwater Construction and Industrial Programs.
Benefits of Stormwater Runoff Management
The EPA highlights the following five benefits of an effective stormwater runoff management program for construction companies and other stakeholders in the built environment:
- Protection of wetlands and aquatic ecosystems;
- Improved quality of receiving waterbodies;
- Conservation of water resources;
- Protection of public health, and;
- Flood control.
Keywords
aquatic ecosystems, Best Management Practices, BMPs, CGP, coastal waters, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, flood control, inland waters, MSGP, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, natural resources, NPDES, pollutants, public health, Stormwater Construction and Industrial Programs, stormwater controls, Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans, stormwater runoff, SWPPP, water resources, waterbodies, wetlands
Next WeatherBuild Blog
More in the next blog about weather planning, Weather Controls™ and weather risk management in the construction industry and built environment…
Weather Controls™ is a trademark of Weather Build, Inc. All rights reserved.
(Source: “NPDES Stormwater Program.” EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 17 Nov. 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.)