EPA Issues Rules to Reduce Water Pollution from Construction Sites
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November 29, 2009
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a final rule aimed at reducing water pollution from construction and development industries.
The final rule, which takes effect in February 2010 and will be phased in over a four-year period, will require construction site owners and operators who disturb one or more acres to use erosion and sediment control best management practices (BMPs) and pollution prevention measures to prevent run off of pollutants from construction sites into nearby bodies of water.
It also requires construction site owners and operators who impact 10 or more acres to monitor stormwater discharges and comply with a numeric standard for the pollutant turbidity in those discharges. This is the first time that EPA has imposed national monitoring requirements and enforceable numeric limitations on construction site stormwater discharges.
Construction activities like clearing, excavating and grading significantly disturb the land and cause soil and sediment runoff, one of the leading causes of water quality problems nationwide.
“The disturbed soil, if not managed properly, can easily be washed off of the construction site during storms and enter water bodies,” the EPA Final Rule says. “Stormwater discharges from construction activities can cause an array of physical, chemical and biological impacts.”
If you or a family member have suffered illness or your property contaminated by soil or ground water pollution, toxic spillage, chemical seepage, improper waste disposal or other environmental issues from construction, mining or other industrial operations, it is important that you contact an attorney immediately to discuss your legal options. Call Napoli Bern Ripka, LLP today at 888-529-4669.