A construction site with a forklift moving lumber, a portable toilet, a dumpster, dirt piles, and trees in the background beside a paved road under a clear blue sky.

Pollution Prevention BMPs For Construction Sites

Stormwater runoff associated with construction activities can be a major contributor of pollutants to the city storm drain system. Pollutants like dirt, fuels, oils, trash, concrete, washout, lime, joint compound, paint, etc. could end up in retention basins, parks, and community lakes.

A Construction General Permit (CGP) must be obtained under the Arizona Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (AZPDES) for any sites that will disturb one or more acres, or less than an acre but are part of a larger common plan of development. If your project fall under those conditions, be sure to implement the following steps:

  1. Prepare a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) prior to construction activities. A SWPPP is a site-specific plan that describes how to manage stormwater and how to reduce or eliminate the discharge of pollutants. Click HERE for more information on SWPPPs, including a checklist and template.
  2. Submit a completed Notice of Intent (NOI) to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) for permit coverage. For details on how to submit a NOI, click on THIS LINK and scroll down for instructions on how to do so.
  3. Once your application is approved by ADEQ, you will recieve and authorization number (or AZCON number) – Post the AZCON# or a copy of the approved authorization form near the site’s main entrance.
  4. Implement and maintain a combination of Best Management Practices (BMPs), or control measures at your site, including erosion and sediment controls, perimeter controls, track-out control devices, storm drain and drywell protection, stabilization of disturbed areas, spill prevention and containment, concrete washout containment, and chemical storage
  5. Conduct routine site inspections per the frequency detailed in the CGP. Complete written inspection reports and maintain them in the SWPPP.
  6. Promptly maintain or replace any damage or ineffective BMPs observed during site inspection.
  7. Update the SWPPP and site map to show changes or modification to any BMPs. The site map should reflect current site conditions.
  8. Complete stabilization of all disturbed areas.
  9. Clean all stormwater infrastructure upon completion of construction activities
  10. Submit a completed Notice of Termination (NOT) to ADEQ once final stabilization has been achieved.
  11. Retain all pertinent documents (SWPPP, Inspection Reports, Revised Site Map, etc.) associated with the site for at least three years from the date the NOT was submitted to ADEQ.

Looking to download a PDF of these steps to have digitally or print? Click HERE for a construction BMP brochure that includes these details as well as examples of good and bad practices.

You can also click HERE for a printable poster of Best Management Practices.

Track out pad preventing track out Metal cattle grid installed on a road surrounded by gravel, with a green check mark symbol in the top right corner indicating approval or correctness. A storm drain protected by straw wattles, a metal grate, and surrounded by an orange safety barrier; a green checkmark is in the top right corner, indicating proper setup. A rocky construction site features a cattle guard made of metal bars across a gravel road, with yellow caution tape on both sides. In the background, there are houses, trees, and a street. A green check mark is overlaid in the top right corner.A blue barrel sits horizontally on a red metal stand inside a yellow spill containment area at a construction site. There are buckets nearby and wooden structures in the background. A green check mark is on the top right.A three-ring binder open to a colorful, tabbed table of contents with 27 sections, each in a different color. A green check mark is in the upper right. Papers and folders sit nearby on the desk.A drywell grate is shown on a dirt construction site with an arrow labeled DRYWELL pointing at it, and a large red X symbol in the upper right corner indicating it is not allowed or incorrect. A portable toilet sits on the driveway of a newly built house, surrounded by dirt and construction debris. A large red X is overlaid in the top right corner, indicating something is wrong. A sandy and damaged road with debris blocking a sidewalk ramp; a large red X symbol is in the top right corner, indicating something is incorrect or unsafe. A busy street with no sidewalk, only gravel and dirt beside the road. A red X in the top right corner indicates this area is not suitable or safe for pedestrians. A residential street under construction with dirt and a truck present, a portable toilet on the right, and a large red X symbol in the top right corner indicating something is wrong.

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