MCM 4 Construction Site Stormwater Control

Construction site adjacent to water body

Introduction

Controlling sediment and other pollutants from construction sites is crucial to an effective stormwater management program. Minimum Control Measure (MCM) 4 of the MS4 General Permit requires permittees to have and enforce a construction site stormwater runoff control program to reduce the impacts of land disturbing activities to stormwater.

MS4 General Permit requirements for MCM 4

The construction site stormwater runoff control program must include:

• A regulatory mechanism that establishes erosion, sediment, and waste controls as stringent as the Construction Stormwater permit requirements for construction sites.
• A site plan review procedure for conducting site plan reviews to ensure compliance with the construction stormwater runoff control regulatory mechanism.
• Written procedures for the receipt and consideration of reports of noncomplaince at construction sites received from the public.
• Construction site inspection procedures for inspecting public and private construction sites. The procedures should include: procedures for identifying and prioritizing sites for inspections, the frequency of site inspections, the name or title of the person responsible for inspections, and a checklist or other written means to document site inspections.
• Enforcement response procedures to compel compliance with the construction stormwater runoff control regulatory mechanism.
• Documentation as described here.

Resources

Click on the blue links above in the "MS4 General Permit requirements" section to get more information and resources specific to those permit requirements. In addition, all resources related to MCM 4 are below.

Fact sheets and guidance documents

• EPA MCM 4 guidance - EPA's guidance and suggested BMPs to successfully control runoff from construction sites
• EPA Stormwater Pollution Prevention for Small Construction Sites brochure - EPA's guide to minimizing discharge from small residential construction sites
• MPCA MCM 4 guidance - MPCA's fact sheet highlighting all requirements related to erosion, sediment, and waste controls
• MPCA Site plan review guidance - MPCA's guidance on what elements should be evaluated during a site plan review
• Code and Ordinance Worksheet for Improving Local Development Regulations - The Center for Watershed Protection's handbook that has over twenty model development standards for designing sites to reduce impervious surfaces, conserve open space, reduce the impacts to stormwater, and save money

Documentation and tracking templates

• Enforcement action documentation template - MPCA's template for documenting all enforcement actions used to compel compliance with your regulatory mechanisms
• Documentation that MS4 staff should retain - List of all the documentation requirements (what information to keep, how long to keep it, level of detail to keep, etc.) for compliance with the MS4 General Permit
• Receipt and consideration of public input - City of Rice Lake's method to document receipt and consideration of public input

Checklists

• Construction site inspection checklist - MPCA's checklist that is consistent with the Construction Stormwater Permit requirements for erosion, sediment, and waste controls
• Construction site inspection checklist - City of Red Wing's construction site inspection checklist
• Construction site inspection checklist - City of Prior Lake's construction site inspection checklist
• Construction site inspection checklist - City of Rice Lake's construction site inspection checklist
• Site plan review checklist - City of Rice Lake's site plan review checklist
• Site plan review checklist - MPCA's site plan review checklist
• Site plan review checklist - City of Cloquet's site plan review checklist
• Site plan review checklist - City of Hutchinson's site plan review checklist

Example Procedures

• Site plan review procedure - City of Elk River's site plan review procedure
• Site plan review procedure - City of Cloquet's site plan review procedure
• Site plan review procedure - City of Rice Lake's site plan review procedure
• Procedures for reports of noncompliance at construction sites - City of Rice Lake's procedure for the receipt and consideration of reports of noncompliance at construction sites

Model language

• Minimal Impact Design Standards (MIDS) Community Assistance Package - MPCA's guidance and model ordinance language to implement low impact design within your community

Other

• Construction site good housekeeping reminder - City of Red Wing's tool to remind construction site owners/operators to maintain sites in compliance with their construction site stormwater runoff control regulatory mechanism
• Construction site good housekeeping acknowledgement - City of Red Wing's tool to acknowledge and appreciate sites that are in compliance with their construction site stormwater runoff control regulatory mechanism
• Notice of violation - City of Rice Lake's notice of violation
• Buffer reminder - City of Hutchinson's reminder to maintain a vegetative buffer at the water's edge
• Contractor training - City of Big Lake's training for contractors conducting construction projects within the city