Boulder County
updates Stormwater Quality Permit (SWQP) requirements
New requirements for
construction projects are effective immediately
Boulder County, Colo. - Boulder
County recently updated components of its state and federally required
Stormwater Quality Permit (SWQP) Program. All SWQP information, including
applications and project checklists, can be found on the county’s SWQP webpage.
As
part of Boulder County’s water quality protection and municipal separate storm
sewer system (MS4) construction program, a SWQP is required for construction
projects that:
- Disturb one acre
or more in size;
- Are less than
one acre and construction activity is part of a larger common plan of
development that will ultimately disturb one acre or more, even if multiple,
separate, and distinct land development activities may take place at different
times; or,
- Are within 100
horizontal feet of a watercourse.
Stormwater Management at Construction
Sites is Important
Polluted
stormwater runoff from construction sites often flows to storm drain systems
and is ultimately discharged into local streams and rivers, destroying aquatic
habitat. Sediment is usually the main pollutant of concern, but there are
others:
- Solid and
sanitary wastes
- Phosphorus and nitrogen
fertilizers
- Concrete from
washouts
- Construction
chemicals, debris, and trash
- Oil and grease
- Pesticides
Sedimentation
runoff from construction sites is typically 10 to 20 times greater than those
from agricultural lands, and 1,000 to 2,000 times greater than those from
forested lands.
Boulder
County is required by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to maintain a
Stormwater Management Program.
For more information
on the Stormwater Quality Permit Program, visit
the county’s webpage, or contact Brian James at 303-441-3507 or bjames@bouldercounty.org.
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