Stormwater pollution prevention plans are in place to protect people, animals, birds, fish and plants from contamination from construction sites. Each plan is unique and specific. But developing the plan is only one step in the process. Once your plan is in place, you must ensure that your crew is following the rules you have made.
In some states, contractors can act as their own SWPPP inspectors, or they can hire a “qualified” third party, although what makes them qualified is not always spelled out. You can see how this might present a conflict of interest. In Utah, SWPPP inspectors must have SWPPP certification. To become a registered stormwater inspector, you must take a course, pass a test and successfully perform 10 SWPPP inspections. SWPPP certifications are good for two years.
As a construction manager or developer, you may find SWPPP compliance irritating because you must put time and money into complying with state and federal regulations. You may not even believe the rules put in place are important. Regardless, if you do not follow them, your project could be shut down and your company fined.
For that reason, working with a trusted and knowledgeable stormwater management company is helpful, because they work to ensure those unfortunate penalties do not befall you.
At Silver Leaf SWPPP, we are certified and have many years of experience in compliance for SWPPP construction projects. We help you create and implement your construction stormwater pollution prevention plan, then we help you enforce it.
Regulations say inspections should be done every one or two weeks, depending upon a particular set of variables, and after heavy rainstorms. If, at this time, our inspection shows that some contaminants from your site are polluting the water, you will know that you need to find out why and correct the issue. Without a SWPPP inspector, you would not know about the stormwater planning violations and may otherwise continue to repeat them, putting your project at risk.
