Construction stormwater best management practice – Homeowner fact sheet
Homeowner fact sheet
If your new home is like most, the builder did some grading of your lot, removing some or all of the existing vegetation or ground cover. You may have new sod, or you might just have a bare soil yard.
When rain falls on exposed soil, it can wash soil away from the land. This runoff can erode bare ground, wash away valuable topsoil and make landscaping more difficult. It also carries soil, nutrients and other pollutants into streets, gutters and ditches, where it then travels untreated to lakes, rivers, streams or wetlands. Polluted runoff can cause excessive growth of weeds and algae in water bodies and reduce recreational opportunities such as swimming and fishing. Sediment-laden runoff can also clog ponds and wetlands and reduce floodwater retention.
Your homebuilder was required to take steps to keep soil and sediment from leaving your lot. Permanent stabilization such as sod may have been installed on part or all of your property. If not, you can help protect the environment by ensuring that soil and sediment are not washed off your property and that grass or other ground cover become well established.
Temporary stabilization
When construction on your home is complete, verify that your builder installed temporary stabilization measures to minimize erosion and prevent sediment-laden runoff from discharging into streets, gutters, ditches, streams, lakes and wetlands. Silt fence or other sediment control should be in place on the down slope perimeter, and near curb and gutters, ditches, streams, lakes and wetlands. Mulch or similar material must cover exposed soil. In addition, any piles of soil on your lot must be at least 200 feet from surface water and curb and gutters. Soil piles must also be stabilized.
As a homeowner, you are responsible for inspecting and maintaining temporary stabilization measures until permanent ground cover is established on your yard.
Commonly used temporary stabilization methods include:
Temporary vegetation includes annual grasses that sprout quickly such as annual rye, oats and winter wheat. These grow quickly with little care and can protect the soil from rain, slow runoff, and act as a filter. They will not provide permanent cover. You may need to fertilize, water or reseed to ensure the vegetative cover is maintained until permanent cover is installed.
Mulching (straw, wood chips, wood fiber blanket, and so on) provides temporary cover to protect the soil from rain. Mulching may be the only option during the winter when seeding or sodding is not possible. Mulch must stay in place to be effective. Netting, stakes or chemical binders are used to anchor some types of mulch. Be sure to reinstall washed-out mulch and anchor if necessary until permanent cover is established.
Silt fences are curtains of permeable fabric erected on stakes to restrict run off. The silt fence slows runoff and allows it to puddle or pond, so soil and sediment can settle out before water leaves a site. Other sediment control devices include berms, biologs, and