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 jump to the referenced section or page. Links to specific resources related to MCM 4 are listed below.

Fact sheets and guidance documents

Fact sheets and guidance documents should provide background information and tips to inform your approach to implementing MCM 4 - Construction Site Stormwater Control.

• 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
• MS4 staff 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
• Timeframes listed in the Construction Stormwater Permit - MPCA's document containing all of the time frame considerations that are detailed in the Construction stormwater permit Construction Stormwater Permit
• 10 Steps to Stormwater Pollution Prevention on Small Residential Construction Sites - MPCA's factsheet on the 10 Steps to Stormwater Pollution Prevention on Small Residential Construction Sites.
• "Model" MCM 4 and MCM 5 regulatory mechanism guidance (wq-strm4-98)

Documentation and tracking templates

Documentation and tracking templates are examples that local stormwater staff are currently using to meet the MS4 General Permit requirements for MCM 4 - Construction Site Stormwater Control.

• 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

Below are methods that local stormwater staff are currently using to meet the site inspection and site plan review documentation Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control requirements in the MS4 General Permit for MCM 4 - Construction Site Stormwater Control.

• 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
• Construction site inspection checklist - Blue Earth County's construction site inspection checklist
• Site plan review checklist - MPCA's site plan review checklist
• Site plan review checklist - City of Rice Lake'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

Example procedures are those that local stormwater staff are currently using to meet the Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control MS4 General Permit requirements for MCM 4 - Construction Site Stormwater Control.

• 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

Fill in the blanks and adopt ordinance language that meets the regulatory mechanism requirements for MS4 General Permit requirements for MCM 4 - Construction Site Stormwater Control.

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

Other

Miscellaneous materials local stormwater staff are using.

• 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
• MCM 4 Pilot Agreement - PDF version of pilot agreement between Rice Creek Watershed District and the City of Centerville for MCM 4
• MCM 4 Pilot Agreement - Word version of pilot agreement between Rice Creek Watershed District and the City of Centerville for MCM 4

Construction site stormwater runoff

The information in this section provides MS4 permittees with tools they can use to meet MCM 4, which addresses construction site stormwater runoff.

• Training programs and print materials for Minimum Control Measure (MCM) 4