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Temporary erosion and sediment control measures
may include blankets, check dams and infiltration. |
Effective erosion control on highway construction projects helps protect water quality and can reduce erosion-related cost overruns and project delays. WSDOT's Erosion Control Program focuses on preventing sediment and other pollutants associated with construction activity from adversely affecting water quality by:
- Developing contract language and policies to ensure construction contractors control erosion effectively.
- Providing technical assistance and guidance materials to WSDOT staff and contractors.
- Performing annual erosion control assessments of moderate to high risk construction sites.
- Monitoring water quality during construction to help ensure compliance with permit requirements.
- Training project designers and inspectors to proactively prevent erosion.
The Erosion Control Program provides technical assistance to WSDOT staff and contractors preparing or implementing Temporary Erosion and Sediment Control (TESC) plans, and monitoring construction related discharges. If you need technical assistance, please contact your Region Environmental Services staff or the Headquarters Erosion Control Program, Elsa Piekarski at 360-570-6654.
Successful erosion control planning and implementation is based on a strong partnership between Region Environmental Offices, Headquarters Programs, Project Engineer Offices, and the contractors. WSDOT's Erosion Control Program helps maintain guidance documents that are used by these groups.
Compliance Assurance
The Erosion Control Program relies on two primary compliance assurance activities; the annual erosion control assessment and construction site water quality monitoring.
From September to mid-November, WSDOT assesses active construction projects posing a moderate or high risk of erosion. WSDOT identifies these project sites based on:
- Slope length and gradient
- Soil type
- Proximity to receiving surface water bodies
- Wet-season earthwork
The erosion control assessments occur in the fall to allow time for the deficiencies to be corrected before heavier winter rain. 2010 assessment results are described in Chapter 4 of WSDOT's 2011 NPDES Annual Progress Report (pdf 1.52 mb) .
WSDOT's Highway Runoff Manual describes protocols for meeting monitoring and reporting requirements of the NPDES Construction Stormwater General Permit (CSWGP).
WSDOT developed an online construction Water Quality Monitoring (CWQM) application that automatically flags data that does not comply with water quality benchmarks and standards, prompting the user to take required actions. All water quality monitoring data collected on WSDOT construction projects with WSDOT owned permits must be entered into CWQM. Contact Elsa Piekarski at 360-570-6654 for CWQM training and information on collecting samples to meet permit requirements. More information on TESC training opportunities appears below under the Training heading.
Other Water Quality Sampling and Reporting
If Non-WSDOT personnel are collecting water quality samples on construction projects with WSDOT owned permits, they can use the Excel spreadsheet linked below for reporting data. The data must be forwarded to the Project Office staff so it can be entered into CWQM. WSDOT staff can also use the following form to record data while out in the field.
Environmental Compliance Assurance Procedures for Construction Projects and Activities
WSDOT developed the ECAP process to ensure the proper notifications and actions have been taken as a result of a non-compliance event. There are nine non-compliance triggers that initiate the ECAP process as outlined in the Construction manual Section 1-2.2K(1).
Training
Construction Site Erosion & Sediment Control:
WSDOT requires all construction contractors performing CSWGP related site inspections and/or water quality monitoring to have a current Certified Erosion and Sediment Control Lead (CESCL) card. Contractor staff seeking certification to perform ESC Lead activities (Standard Specification 8-01.3(1)B) must receive training from an Ecology approved training provider. Ecology requires 16 hours of classroom and field training in erosion and sediment practices as required by the CSWGP.
Internal WSDOT personnel responsible for collecting construction related discharge samples must also hold a current CESCL certification. For internal personnel that need to get CESCL certified immediately, the best option is to sign up for an approved external training (link above). Internal certification training opportunities may be available. Contact Elsa Piekarski at 360-570-6654 to inquire about availability. The 8 hour internal Construction Site Erosion & Sediment Control classroom course will renew a recently expired CESCL certification if the course is taken within 6 months of expiration.
WSDOT also requires all internal WSDOT staff responsible for designing or inspecting a TESC plan to take the Construction Site Erosion & Sediment Control classroom course. The course should be taken every three years as permit requirements and internal policies change regularly. To sign up for the class (course code BPW), WSDOT staff should send a learning request to their supervisor through the Learning Management System (LMS). Consultants who develop TESC plans for WSDOT projects may take this course as well but course credits will not count towards the WSDOT CESCL certification program. Contact Elsa Piekarski at 360-570-6654 for class schedule and availability.
WSDOT's Construction Site Erosion & Sediment Control classroom course covers:
- Regulations controlling construction activities.
- Factors affecting soil erodibility
- Proper applications of erosion and sediment control Best Management Practices (BMPs)
- TESC planning and implementation
Those seeking broader construction related environmental compliance training may be interested in taking the Environmental Compliance for Construction Inspector course (course code CR5 in ATMS).
TESC Plan Design Course:
In this course, participants will learn how to use WSDOT's TESC Planning Tool. WSDOT developed the TESC Planning Tool to help designers write thorough and contractually enforceable TESC Plans. The tool prompts the designer to review requirements, analyze risk, select BMPs to address those risks, and identify contractual tools to ensure enforcement of TESC plans. The planning tool also helps ensure consistency in plan format by automatically organizing and writing the plan using a template and can also greatly accelerate the TESC plan reviewing process. WSDOT has finished redeveloping this tool as a web application to reduce compatibility problems with new operating systems. This course is provided in a Go-To Meeting format and is scheduled as needed. Contact Elsa Piekarski at 360-570-6645 for more information and availability.
Water Quality Monitoring Training:
This 2 hour course covers WSDOT's Water Quality Monitoring Protocols (Ch. 6 of Highway Runoff Manual), including NPDES General Construction permit requirements of when, where, and how to sample. This course also covers how to use WSDOT's Construction Water Quality Monitoring (CWQM) online application, which is required for reporting sampling data. All construction and region environmental staff who are responsible for collecting water quality samples during construction or responsible for training staff how to collect samples should take this course. This course is provided in a Go-To Meeting format and is scheduled as needed. Contact Elsa Piekarski at 360-570-6645 for more information and availability.
For more information on TESC training contact:
Elsa Piekarski, 360.570.6654
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