Have you stabilized your sites?

By: Kim Boyd, CPESC, CPMSM, BME Stormwater Specialist

It’s that time of year to begin thinking about stabilizing your construction sites prior to the snowflakes falling. It is a common misconception that snow is considered stabilization, but unfortunately, the DEC disagrees. Per the SPDES General Permit for Stormwater Dischargesfrom Construction Activity (GP-0-15-002), any areas not actively worked must be stabilized within 7 days (disturbed area >5 acres) or 14 days (disturbed area <5 acres).

Benefits of stabilization include:

• Marketing –  a “green” site is visually appealing to prospective clients and home buyers
• Reduced cost of erosion and sediment control (ESC) maintenance –  a stabilized site does not need ESCs
• Reduced cost of SWPPP inspections for sites over 5 acres – weekly inspections vs. twice a week inspections
• Increased compliance – exposed soils not worked in 7-14 days are in violation of GP-0-15-002
• Reduced cost of repeated winter stabilization – new Standards and Specifications for Winter Stabilization** will require end of each work day stabilization between November 15th and April 1st (unless work resumes within 24 hours and no precipitation is forecasted or runoff is contained in utility trenches, foundation excavations, or water management areas)

Progression of stabilization-success for our client.

It has undoubtedly been a tough summer to reach stabilization requirements on busy construction sites. But with the right materials, proper planning, and a little help from Mother Nature, one contractor succeeded in accomplishing what many others struggled to do during this past summer’s drought warning: grow grass.

The right materials included freshly screened topsoil, hydroseed with hydromulch (applied at the proper application rate), straw mulch, and tackifier.

Proper planning included applying all of these materials in a timely manner, with one eye on the weather. The soils were graded and topsoil spread and hand raked. Within 24 hours, the recently raked soils were hydroseeded with hydromulch. Within the next 4 days, the contractor straw mulched the hydroseeded soils and sprayed a tackifier on top of the mulch to prevent the straw from blowing away.

The contractor had planned to irrigate the site but Mother Nature stepped in and provided water, free of charge. The straw mulch not only helped minimize soil erosion on the steep slopes, it also prevented birds from eating the seed, and most importantly helped lock in the moisture from the morning dew and from the rare and infrequent rain showers the site received. This contractor will not be wasting money on erosion and sediment controls this winter!

It is never to early to start thinking about stabilization. For more information on the best practices for stabilization, contact us today!

**Additional resources: click here to review the new Standards and Specifications for Winter Stabilization (pg.41) from the DEC.