Did you know that under the Federal Clean Water Act, you may be responsible for obtaining stormwater permit coverage for certain projects?
Projects within the city limits must check their site plans against the following criteria:
If your construction project:
1. Disturbs one or more acres of land area
OR
2. Is part of a larger common plan of development or sale that will ultimately disturb one or more acres of land
AND
3. May discharge stormwater from the site into surface waters of the state, or into storm drainage systems which discharge into these waters (including curbs & gutters on City streets).
Additionally, DOE may also require a permit for ANY size construction site if it determines that the site is a significant contributor of pollutants to waters of the state, or could cause a violation of any water quality standards.
You may obtain more information about Ecology's permit policies and the Clean Water Act (CWA) by visiting DOE's construction stormwater general permit requirement guide.
Under these regulations, if your project falls within the permit requirements above, you are also obligated to have a Certified Erosion and Sediment Control Lead present on-site or on call at all times (CESCL). You may obtain certification through an approved program meeting DOE's minimum training standards.
For more information on DOE's CESCL requirements, and to locate certification training providers, visit DOE's CESCL training page.
If you have additional questions on construction stormwater requirements, please contact us at (509) 764-3792.