Stormwater runoff occurs after a rainfall. In Florida, especially during the wet and rainy season, rainfall and storms can become torrential at times generating high volume of water in a short period of time. This stormwater eventually reaches lakes, streams, rivers, and wetlands untreated and potentially contaminated.
Stormwater runoff can collect pollutants along its path by collecting materials, sediment, chemicals, and other contaminants that can create our local water bodies to become unstable and polluted.
Many construction sites establish and implement Best Management Practices (BMPs) performing sediment and erosion control during construction projects. BMPs are work activities or engineered controls that prevent pollutants from leaving a worksite. Additionally, there are many types of BMPs that help control volume and velocity of stormwater. There are certain characteristics of both the rainfall event, soil, and the area that can influence the resulting runoff volume, velocity, and the required control measures that may be needed.
Before a construction project gets fully operational, there are three questions a construction site operator should answer. To effectively achieve pollutant reduction during stormwater runoff, it is good to understand on any given construction site what type of potential sources of stormwater pollutants can take place. Secondly, what are the specific determinant factors associate to these pollutants if not maintained and managed. Finally, what are the most effective ways to reduce or eliminate these pollutants.
Taking time to analyze these key questions will lead to determining the correct and most effective use of specific BMPs. Once the most effective BMPs are defined, it is time to discover and determine the design, operation, potential correct implementation, and maintenance strategy that should take place during the various construction phases. The outcome is to ensure the most productive methods are implemented to ensure the BMPs are successfully meeting the Florida Construction Generic Permit (CGP) stormwater management criteria.
KCI can help you determine whether your site is secured and ready for construction with the correct BMPs. KCI can take out the second guessing whether your site is ready to go. Call us today, 888-346-7779.