Construction Projects Must Take Measures to Protect Clean Water

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release – May 15, 2025

Media Contact:
Thomas A. Benoit Sr, Construction Section Supervisor
Department of Environmental Conservation
802-490-6164, Thomas.Benoit@Vermont.gov

Construction Projects Must Take Measures to Protect Clean Water

Montpelier, VT – With this year’s construction season underway, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) wants to remind Vermonters about requirements to help protect the state’s waterways.

“We understand that managing construction sites to protect water quality is a year-round challenge,” said DEC Commissioner Jason Batchelder. “Using measures that reduce erosion and keep soil on construction sites helps protect Vermont’s waterways and their many benefits.”

Construction activities require a Construction Stormwater Permit under the Vermont Construction General Permit 3-9020 when total land disturbance is:

• Equal to or greater than 1 acre, or
• Less than 1 acre but is part of a larger common plan of development, if the larger development will ultimately result in the disturbance of 1 or more acres.

Permittees must have an Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control (EPSC) plan. Marking construction limits, installing stone check dams, and promptly stabilizing areas of earth disturbance are measures in the EPSC plan that must follow the Vermont Standards and Specifications.

“Our department offers resources to help Vermonters understand the full suite of measures, follow the permit requirements, and protect our remarkable surface waters from streams and rivers to ponds, lakes, and wetlands,” said Batchelder. “Together, permittees help us not only reduce erosion in these special ecosystems but also cut costs to maintain important infrastructure such as road ditches and storm sewers.”

To learn more, interested parties may view the permit application instructions or the Low Risk Site Handbook. The DEC Stormwater Management Program oversees regulations and offers technical assistance for stormwater management.

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