EPA Issues Final Rule To Reduce Water Pollution From Construction Sites

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently issued a final rule on effluent limitations guidelines (ELGs) and new source performance standards (NSPS) to control the discharge of pollutants—primarily sediments—from construction sites. For the first time, certain large construction sites will have to meet an objective, numeric turbidity standard.

EPA promulgated the rule because construction activities like clearing, grading and excavating, disturb soil and sediment, which can be washed off construction sites during storm events and can pollute nearby water bodies. EPA has identified stormwater runoff from construction sites as one of the most significant threats to water quality nationwide. Turbidity, a measure of sediment in water, amounts to approximately four billion pounds per year, according to calculations by the EPA. The cost of reducing turbidity under the new rule will cost the construction industry close to $1 billion dollars according to