Construction groups are pleased that proposed new Environmental Protection Agency guidelines for pollutant discharges from construction sites would rely more on “best management practices” for sediment and erosion control than on numeric limits on sediment in stormwater runoff. Under the proposal, circulated on Nov. 19, only certain sites of 30 acres or more would be required to meet specific numeric levels for turbidity.
Leah Pilconis, environmental consultant for the Associated General Contractors, calls EPA’s proposal “workable” but adds that the numeric limits on large sites could be costly for contractors.
In September, a federal appeals court upheld a lower-court ruling that directed EPA to develop the stormwater guidelines.
