The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released a new tool to assist small residential lot builders in developing their required stormwater pollution prevention plans, or SWPPP documents. The Small Residential Lot SWPPP Template is an optional tool designed to streamline SWPPP development and is fully compliant with the SWPPP requirements in EPA’s Construction General Permit (CGP). EPA has invited states to modify the agency’s new template, as needed, for use with their state CGPs.
The requirement to develop a SWPPP applies equally to small-scale construction projects as it does to large-scale construction projects, but the level of necessary detail may vary depending on the nature of a given project. EPA’s new Small Residential Lot SWPPP Template “was designed with small residential lot projects in mind and therefore is not appropriate for other types of construction projects,” according to template’s “Introduction” page. There is a “Who Can Use This Template” section, immediately following, that identifies the criteria that must be met for a project to qualify as a small residential lot. The template is accompanied by an educational brochure that provides basic sediment and erosion control and stormwater pollution prevention guidance common to all small residential lot projects.
Click here to access EPA’s new Small Residential Lot SWPPP Template. Note that on the same website, you will find additional resources and tools, including a SWPPP template for commercial projects and two “model or example” SWPPPs that EPA created for two hypothetical construction sites.
To learn more about EPA’s construction stormwater program, click here.
CICA Center Is Your Gateway to Stormwater Compliance Information
The stormwater information on the AGC-supported Construction Industry Compliance Assistance (CICA) Center is one of the most frequently accessed resources on this comprehensive, online environmental resource for contractors. To find out why this is such a popular resource, check out the stormwater resources available at http://cicacenter.org/stormwater.html.
For more information, please contact Leah Pilconis at pilconisl@agc.org.