A Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan, also known as a SWPPP, SWP3, or SW3P, is a site-specific document that identifies:

• – The scope of the project
• – The operator(s) responsible for implementing the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan
• – Potential sources of stormwater pollution at the construction site
• – The measures to be implemented to contain on-site pollutants and prevent their runoff during storms

Any construction site that will disturb one or more acres or is part of a Larger Common Plan of Development.

A construction activity is part of a larger common plan of development if it is completed in one or more of the following ways:

• – in separate stages
• – in separate phases
• – in combination with other construction activities

It is identified by the documentation that identifies the scope of the project including such things as the following:

• – plats
• – blueprints
• – marketing plans
• – contracts
• – building permits
• – public notice or hearing
• – zoning requests

It can include one operator or many operators.

Example 1: You’re planning to build a restaurant on a 0.8-acre pad site adjacent to another project actively constructing a big-box store on 7 acres within the same shopping center. In this case, because the shopping center is considered a common plan of development and the total disturbed area for the common plan of development is over an acre, each operator would fall under the requirements associated with disturbing 1 or more acres.

Example 2: In this case, the total area that would be disturbed is 1.3 acres. As a result, each operator would fall under the requirements associated with disturbing 1 or more acres. This includes your home construction project on 0.5 acres, the other company’s home construction on 0.3 acres, and the contractor’s excavation for underground utilities on another 0.5 acres in the next phase.

“Construction” refers to actions that result in a disturbance of the land, including clearing, grading, excavating, and other similar activities.

It also includes “construction-related activities,” areas that support the construction project such as stockpiles, borrow areas, concrete truck washouts, fueling areas, material storage areas and equipment storage areas. Construction activities that do not disturb land, such as interior remodeling, generally do not require TPDES or NPDES permit coverage.