Choosing the right Best Management Practice (BMP) for a site is very crucial and can be costly if chosen incorrectly. When deciding what stormwater BMP will work, the field conditions that must be considered includes the following: how much water flow will need to be filtered/slowed/redirected, how long the BMP will be in place for, how much pollutant the BMP could potentially receive and are there any items preventing proper installation. Builders must use their best judgement and gather as much information as they can prior to choosing what BMP will work best for their job site.

Using the BMP’s that the civil engineered plans call out may not be the best BMP for a site. For example, straw wattle is called out in the civil drawings, but silt fence would be better. There are many items that the plans may not dictate. For example, equipment utilizing more water placement than originally planned, busted water line creating unnatural water flow, offsite agricultural fields that cause water to intrude onto the site, wet season rain that measures above expected accumulation…. among many others. These situations will test your ability to choose the correct BMP.

Regardless, you must find the most effective and practical way to mitigate pollutants from leaving or entering your site.