Protecting our ground water has become a major concern over the last few decades.
Abuses and a lack of understanding about the importance of ground water created
enormous problems throughout the country with an apex in the 60’s and 70’s.
In response to these problems the United States government has taken steps to
protect groundwater for future generations.
In 1977 Congress enacted the Clean Water Act, and the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) was charged with enforcing Phase I of the National Discharge Elimination
System Storm Water Program. This dealt primarily with point source pollution
and had little effect on the construction industry on projects under 5 acres.
As of February 2003 Phase II of the National Discharge Elimination System Storm
Water Program was enacted. You may have heard of this referred to as simply
Phase II. These new regulations expand the previous Phase I regulations and
have placed further restrictions on:
- Municipalities
- Industrial sites
- Construction sites over one acre(reduced from 5 acres)
What this means to me the contractor or owner?
This has changed the way engineers and project managers view and manage storm
water runoff. Planners must look for new products and methods as they conform
to the new extended regulations. With the tremendous number of products which
have been developed to meet this new need, it can be difficult to determine
which ones are best suited to the needs of an individual site
How does Landscape Support Services fit in?
We at Landscape Support Services have committed ourselves to providing the
latest and best erosion and stormwater protection products and services available
today. Our commitment to our customers goes beyond simple product installation,
focusing on compliance and overall job value.
At many companies, installations of sediment control and stormwater protection
products have been relegated to the laborer with a few extra minutes to spare.
In many cases these employees have little or no training on proper installation
techniques. There can be many hidden cost when handling your installations this
way. Poor installations can lead to failures which may require unneeded maintenance
or replacement, worse yet fines can be incurred when improper installations
are inspected by local or federal agent. In some cases better alternatives may
be available to solve specific stormwater related issues reducing overall job
cost. Because of these factors many companies have little idea of how much they
are actually spending for these services and have difficulty properly managing
these costs.
Not only does Landscape Support Services install and maintain a wide variety
of erosion and stormwater control products. Our employees are also trained and
can assist you in all aspects of Phase II SWPPP compliance. With our help your
company can get a handle on these unmanaged costs, and help to improve your
bottom line!
|
|
