Compliance
A stormwater permit requires regular weekly inspections and reporting of the status of the Best Management Practices (BMPs) during construction (or during a shutdown of construction). It also requires inspections before and after a rain event, as well as every 24-hours during the rain event. This ensures any issues that may come up are handled as quickly as possible to avoid contamination or sediment breaches of your BMP devices.
Stormwater Inspection Services (QSP)
How to Initiate an Inspection
The contractor, property owner, or facility manager is typically responsible for initiating SWPPP inspections by a CASQA certified inspector (QSP or SWPPP Inspector) and a Qualified SWPPP Developer (QSD). If you do not have an in-house inspector and QSD on staff, you must contract with a company like StormTek for inspection services. Once StormTek has been hired, you can rest assured knowing that we are taking care of all of the state and local inspection and reporting requirements.
The frequency of inspections are determined by many factors including location, risk of pollution, and length of the project. In general, most sites will require a weekly inspection with additional inspections before, during, and after a rain event.
Why it’s Important to have Scheduled Stormwater Inspections
The California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) or Local Jurisdiction (City/County) audits construction sites regularly. These audits are unannounced. Your site must be following the BMPs outlined in your SWPPP at the time of your unannounced audit or the they will issue a fine. These fines can be significant and will shut down your project until you produce proof of compliance.
Our inspections provide routine ongoing accountability for SWPPP requirements. Issues will be identified so that they can quickly be addressed in a timely manner. Additionally, the inspections can help to identify issues with the project SWPPP so that amendments can be made if needed.
Our CASQA certified inspectors and QSDs are thorough and provide comprehensive guidance to ensure you remain compliant and avoid any fines or project delays.
What to Expect from a SWPPP Inspection
Our inspectors and QSDs always initiate the inspection process by checking in with the project superintendent. They will also look at the project SWPPP to get an understanding of the site-specific requirements.
As the inspection moves to the field, BMPs will be evaluated and issues will be documented so that they can be remedied in a timely manner. All stormwater inspection details will be documented by our inspectors including images, which allows for complete transparency of the inspection process. Once completed, the report will be delivered electronically to the superintendent for action. Our comprehensive system provides secure archival of all inspections and documentation per regulatory requirements. The Contractor is required to also maintain a digital or physical copy of the reports.
Our inspectors are responsible for suggesting updates to the site-specific SWPPP if needed. We will work with the project QSD/SWPPP developer to recommend SWPPP adjustments throughout the life of the project.
Regulations require that all projects submit annual reports with detailed compliance information related to the project. Our QSPs/SWPPP inspectors will prepare the report on an annual basis and submit it to the governing agency. We also prepare Quarterly Reports, which are not submitted to the State, to provide you with a summary of the performance of the project and gives you a chance to rectify any issues much easier than reviewing weekly and rain inspection reports.
Types of Stormwater Inspections
Construction projects typically require weekly inspections by QSPs and periodic inspections throughout the year by a QSD to ensure the project maintains compliance with federal, state, and local requirements. Additional inspections and water sampling may be required when rain is present.
Linear projects such as roadways and utility installations require inspections as well depending on the jurisdiction and construction involved.
Industrial facilities typically require a monthly inspection to ensure the facility is maintaining compliance after construction. Water samples will be required when rain is present and the facility is discharging stormwater.
Additional inspection requirements may be present but are dependent on several factors including site or project characteristics and the location of the project or site. These are documented in the SWPPP.
QSP Inspection - Water Sampling
When is it required
Dependent on many factors, industrial projects and certain construction sites may require water samples to be taken during rain storms in order to ensure water does not contain pollutants and the site is discharging clarified water. Our inspection services include water sampling and/or sampling training for onsite personnel as needed for each of our customer’s sites. Sampling is not required on all projects.
Who does it
StormTek inspectors are CASQA certified and have been trained to collect water samples or we can train your onsite staff to collect water samples as needed to make sure your project is covered during rain events. They always have their sampling equipment on hand, which is pre-calibrated, so they are ready to take on any water sampling concern at a moment’s notice.
What happens next
After the sample has been collected, it will be analyzed immediately in the field or sent to a local laboratory for analysis depending on the target pollutant. If pollutants are detected, our inspectors will work with the site operator to remedy the issues and file any required reports.
SWPPP Consulting and Training
Stormwater Training
Stormwater requirements are complex and can be hard to keep up with. Ensuring that key personnel related to each project are trained properly and that training is ongoing to address any changes is critical to the continued compliance of your site.
Contractors directly involved with construction and maintenance of BMPs are required to receive annual training to ensure proper implementation.
Stormwater Consulting
In addition to standard stormwater services, there are many other things that may be required related to permitting, Stormwater Multiple Application and Report Tracking System (SMARTS), Annual Reports, SWPPP modifications, and amendments. StormTek is able to consult on a case-by-case basis to provide support and consulting outside of SWPPP developing and monitoring to ensure all of your stormwater needs are taken care of.