806.5 Site Inspections and BMP Repair

MoDOT’s general operating permit requires site inspections on a regular basis by a qualified individual for all projects one acre and greater. For projects that are designed and anticipated to break one acre or more of land disturbance, inspections are to begin once land disturbance operations commence. For projects designed to be less than an acre of land disturbance but the contractors operations cause land disturbance to exceed the one acre threshold, inspections shall begin once it is known the disturbance will exceed the acre limit.

Inspections shall follow one of the following schedules:

1. At least once every seven (7) days and within 48 hours after any storm event equal to or greater than a 2-year, 24-hour storm has ceased during a normal work day and within 72 hours if the event ceases during a non-work day such as a weekend or a holiday; or

2. At least once every 14 calendar days and within 24 hours of the occurrence of a storm event of 0.25 inches or greater or the occurrence of runoff from snowmelt.

a. Inspections shall be conducted within 24 hours once a storm event has produced 0.25 inches within a 24-hour period, even if the storm event is still continuing; and

b. If an event occurs over multiple days, each day the event produces 0.25 inches or more of rain, an inspection is required within 24 hours of the first day of the storm and within 24 hours after the end of the storm.

A 2-year, 24-hour storm event shall be determined for the project location using the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service Atlas 14.

It is acceptable to switch between the two inspection options as long as it is documented in the project specific SWPPP prior to switching. It is not acceptable to mix weekly and post runoff requirements between the two options.

Any inspector who will conduct storm water inspections must attend MoDOT’s land disturbance training. Once trained, inspectors must be recertified every four (4) years. Failure to attend the training or be recertified will affect the inspector’s access to the Stormwater Database.

Inspectors shall answer all of the questions on the standard MoDOT Land Disturbance Inspection Checklist. The standard checklist is intended to be a comprehensive guide to ensure all best management practices (BMPs) and other pollution control measures are installed and maintained within the requirements established in the NPDES permit and the Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP). Inspectors shall perform visual site inspections for evidence of erosion or sediment deposition throughout the project limits where any disturbance has occurred and where BMPs have been installed. All receiving streams shall be inspected 50 feet downstream of the outfall when practicable. Any on-site areas that achieve final stabilization shall be inspected once each month until final stabilization has been achieved for the entire project.

MoDOT’s Stormwater database is the official repository for all storm water inspections. All inspections shall be documented the Stormwater Database by the inspector who conducted the inspection. Each inspector should strive to enter the inspection as quickly as possible to allow contractors the optimal amount of time to schedule the repair of any deficiencies. All inspections shall be entered no later than 48 hours after conducting the inspections in the field. Once the inspection has been entered in the Stormwater Database, the Resident Engineer shall review and certify the inspection report within 3 days.

Site inspection reports may be required to be printed if requested by DNR or the EPA. If such a request is made, all inspection reports, as well as a log of each inspection, must be provided in a timely manner. The log can be generated from the list of inspections from the database. Inspections are not required to be retained on site, but a current copy of the project specific SWPPP must be available on site at all times when work is being performed.

Inspection records and directives to the contractor shall be noted in the inspector's diary, which shall be available for review by MDNR upon request.