As the construction site becomes more impacted with less vegetation and more structural impervious surfaces are in place, the stormwater runoff velocity and volume dramatically increase. This will escalate the potential for erosion and sediment leaving the site.
Early in the project, it is a good practice to jointly review with design engineers, project teams, and environmental consultants to collectively understand and determine potential stormwater management practices prior to breaking ground. These efforts will help reduce delays and potentially save money.
Stormwater management takes great planning that includes a well-thought-out design. It will also require proactive implementation and execution. There are many moving parts to effectively prepare, implement, and manage the necessary Best Management Practices (BMPs) needed to reduce stormwater runoff pollution.
There are many ways that a construction site can ensure that high velocity stormwater potentially carrying sediment and pollutants does not reach our waterways. One of the most obvious that you can immediately see when you visit a site is inlet protection. The main types of inlets that you see on site are either a curb inlet or a grated drop inlet. You can choose from a variety of different ways to protect these inlets, but the basic idea is allowing the water to continue to flow through the stormwater system while also reducing the amount of sediment runoff that goes down the drain.
Sometimes it might be advisable to simply create a diversion barrier to direct and slow down the runoff to a designated area. This will only work if you are moving the water down an appropriate slope, are not creating a backwash effect, and have a designated sediment trap area in which the runoff has a chance to settle out.
Productive planning to on-going maintenance happens when there is a full-time compliance team engaged and focused specifically on the stormwater regulations. KCI wants to be your full-time compliance team. If you are a construction operator in need for a professional team to help you control erosion and sediment, give us a call at (888) 346-7779.
