SECTION 9 SEDIMENT CONTROL PRACTICES

9.1

Sediment Control Practices.

9.2

Permittees must establish sediment control BMPs on all downgradient perimeters of the site and downgradient areas of the site that drain to any surface water, including curb and gutter systems. Permittees must locate sediment control practices upgradient of any buffer zones. Permittees must install sediment control practices before any upgradient land-disturbing activities begin and must keep the sediment control practices in place until they establish permanent cover.

9.3

If downgradient sediment controls are overloaded, based on frequent failure or excessive maintenance requirement, permittees must install additional upgradient sediment control practices or redundant BMPs to eliminate the overloading and amend the SWPPP to identify these additional practices as required in item 6.3.

9.4

Temporary or permanent drainage ditches and sediment basins designed as part of a sediment containment system (e.g., ditches with rock-check dams) require sediment control practices only as appropriate for site conditions.

9.5

A floating silt curtain placed in the water is not a sediment control BMP to satisfy item 9.2 except when working on a shoreline or below the waterline. Immediately after the construction activity (e.g., installation of rip rap along the shoreline) in that area is complete, permittees must install an upland perimeter control practice if exposed soils still drain to a surface water.

9.6

Permittees must re-install all sediment control practices adjusted or removed to accommodate short-term activities such as clearing or grubbing, or passage of vehicles, immediately after the short-term activity is completed. Permittees must re-install sediment control practices before the next anticipated rain event even if the short-term activity is not complete.

9.7

Permittees must protect all storm drain inlets using appropriate BMPs during construction until they establish permanent cover on all areas with potential for discharging to the inlet.

9.8

Permittees may remove inlet protection for a particular inlet if a specific safety concern (e.g. street flooding/freezing) is identified by the permittees or the jurisdictional authority (e.g., city/county/township/Minnesota Department of Transportation engineer). Permittees must document the need for removal in the SWPPP.

9.9

Permittees must provide silt fence or other effective sediment controls at the base of stockpiles on the downgradient perimeter prior to the initiation of stockpiling. Sediment controls must be managed in accordance with section 9.6.

9.10

Permittees must locate stockpiles outside of natural buffers or surface waters, including stormwater conveyances such as curb and gutter systems unless there is a bypass in place for the stormwater.

9.11

Permittees must install a vehicle tracking BMP to minimize the track out of sediment from the construction site or onto paved roads within the site.

9.12

Permittees must use street sweeping in addition to vehicle tracking BMPs if vehicle tracking BMPs alone are not adequate to prevent sediment tracking onto the street.

9.13

Permittees must install temporary sediment basins as required in Section 14.

9.14

In any areas of the site where final vegetative stabilization will occur, permittees must restrict vehicle and equipment use to minimize soil compaction.

9.15

Permittees must preserve topsoil on the site, unless infeasible.

9.16

Permittees must direct discharges from BMPs to vegetated areas unless infeasible.

9.17

Permittees must preserve a 50 foot natural buffer or, if a buffer is infeasible on the site, provide redundant (double) perimeter sediment controls when a surface water is located within 50 feet of the project's land disturbances and stormwater flows to the surface water. Permittees must install perimeter sediment controls at least 5 feet apart unless limited by lack of available space. Natural buffers are not required adjacent to road ditches, judicial ditches, county ditches, stormwater conveyance channels, storm drain inlets, and sediment basins. If preserving the buffer is infeasible, permittees must document the reasons in the SWPPP. Sheet piling and other impermeable barriers installed in a manner that retains all stormwater are considered redundant perimeter control.

9.18

Permittees must use polymers, flocculants, or other sedimentation treatment chemicals in accordance with accepted engineering practices, dosing specifications and sediment removal design specifications provided by the manufacturer or supplier. The permittees must use conventional erosion and sediment controls prior to chemical addition and must direct treated stormwater to a sediment control system for filtration or settlement of the floc prior to discharge.