Erosion control is nothing new for contractors and owners of construction projects. For more than a decade, sites five acres or larger have been covered by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) regulations, intended to protect the nation's water supply. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cites storm-water runoff as the most common cause of polluting surface waters, and storm-water discharges from construction activities have a significant impact on water quality. Any time soil is disturbed on a jobsite―by excavation, grading during site preparation, or any other activity―there is a risk that storm-water runoff could carry pollution to surface waters.
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