MCM 4 Construction Site Stormwater Control
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. The construction site stormwater runoff control program must include:
- A regulatory mechanism that establishes erosion, sediment, and controls as stringent as the Construction Stormwater permit requirements for construction sites.
- A procedure for conducting site plan reviews to ensure compliance with the regulatory mechanism, as mentioned above. See here for items that the site plan review procedure should include.
- Written procedures for the receipt and consideration of reports of noncomplaince at construction sites received from the public.
- Site inspection procedures for inspecting public and private construction sites. The procdures 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. See here for more information and File:SiteInspectionChecklist.xlsx for an example checklist.
- Enforcement Response Procedures.
- Documentation as described here.
Additional resources:
- 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
- MS4 Site inspection checklist - MPCA's template checklist that is consistent with the Construction Stormwater Permit requirements for erosion, sediment, and waste controls for MS4 inspectors to use.