by Brianna Crandall — April 25, 2011—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is releasing for public comment a draft permit that will help improve the nation’s waterways by regulating the discharge of stormwater from construction sites. EPA says stormwater discharges during construction activities can contain sediment and pollutants that harm aquatic ecosystems, increase drinking water treatment costs, and pollute waters used for recreational activities.
The proposed Construction General Permit (CGP) includes a number of enhanced protections. Some of the significant proposed permit modifications include new requirements for:
- Eligibility for emergency-related construction
- Required use of the electronic notice of intent process
- Sediment and erosion controls
- Natural buffers or alternative controls
- Soil stabilization
- Pollution prevention
- Site inspections
- Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans
- Permit termination
Many of the new permit requirements implement new effluent limitations guidelines and new source performance standards for the construction and development industry that became effective on February 1, 2010. The public will have 60 days to comment on the draft permit. EPA anticipates that it will issue the final construction general permit by January 31, 2012.
