Support for the 2022 Reissuance of EPA’s Construction General Permit

Construction projects often include land-disturbing activities that expose soil. When it rains, stormwater flows over the loose soil, causing erosion and carrying sediment (and other pollutants often found on construction sites) to our waterways. Under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency develops and implements a Construction General Permit (CGP) that requires construction site operators to implement stormwater controls and develop a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) to minimize the amount of sediment and other pollutants in stormwater runoff. EPA contracted with ERG to provide support for developing the 2022 CGP (which would supersede the prior 2017 CGP).

ERG provided multifaceted technical and communications support to help EPA develop and implement the 2022 CGP and its associated appendices and fact sheet. This work involved performing literature reviews; helping EPA respond to comments on the draft permit; developing the permit’s information collection request and economic analysis; and developing resources to help permittees understand and comply with the requirements, such as the Seasonally Dry Period Locator Tool, SWPPP templates, Inspection and Corrective Action Report Templates and Guidance, and a Monitoring and Inspection Guide for Construction Dewatering. In addition, an ERG interdisciplinary team of stormwater and instructional design experts developed a seven-hour online Construction Inspection Training Course that may be taken by inspectors to comply with the training requirements under Part 4 of the 2022 GCP. ERG also developed fact sheets in Spanish that describe erosion and sediment control and pollution prevention best practices for projects in Puerto Rico.