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When stormwater drains off a construction site, it carries sediment and other pollutants that harm lakes, streams and wetlands. According to the 1996 National Water Quality Inventory, stormwater runoff is a leading source of water pollution. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 20 to 150 tons of soil per acre is lost every year to stormwater runoff from construction sites.

What You Can Do to Help

• Identify and conserve environmentally sensitive areas on your site and design your site around these areas.
  
  
• Use low impact site design principles. For "Better Site Design" development tools and tips, visit the Center for Watershed Protection and the Georgia Stormwater Management Manual.
  
  
• Implement and maintain aggressive erosion control measures to prevent sediment runoff.
  
  
• Locate your site away from any down sloping street or driveway, and any stream, lake, or drainage way.
  
  
• Maintain construction entrances, and clean up sediments daily by sweeping or scraping up soils tracked onto roadways.
  
  
• Prevent root damage of trees and shrubbery by placing barriers around plant life and limiting construction within those barriers.
  
  
• Re-vegetate through seeding and mulching, as vegetation is most effective in erosion control.

Important Links

For more information on the impact of construction on stormwater pollution, please visit:

Environmental Protection Agency - Stormwater Discharges from Construction Activities

The Soil and Water Conservation Society

The International Erosion Control Association

Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC), Inc.