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VA DEQ ESC INSPECTOR EXAM ACTUAL
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS ALREADY
GRADED A+ GUARANTEED SUCCESS
Site at Final Grade
- stabilize in 7 days (recommended immediately)
- permanently or temporarily seed and mulch
- mulch/matting/straw Minimum Standard 2 Stock Piles, Waste and Borrow Areas Minimum Standard 8 Concentrated Runoff shall not flow down cut or fill slopes unless contained within an adequate temporary or permanent channel, flume or slope drain structure outlets of these drains need outlet protection to prevent erosion from the concentrated flow size of pipe depends on drainage area temporarily conduct concentrated stormwater runoff safely down the face of a cut or fill slope without causing erosion on or below the slope Minimum Standard 9
Water Seeps whenever water seeps from a slope face, adequate drainage or other protection shall be provided cut and fill operations may expose shallow aquifers or groundwater tables from which water may seep through the side of a slope Minimum Standard 10 Inlet Protection all storm sewer inlets that are made operable during construction shall be protected so that sediment-laden water cannot enter the conveyance system without first being filtered or otherwise treated to remove sediment during construction, soil stock piles and borrow areas shall be stabilized or protected with sediment trapping measures mulch prevents erosion by protecting the surface from raindrop impact and silt fence intercepts and detains from disturbed areas Minimum Standard 3 Permanent Vegetation permanent vegetation cover shall be established on denuded areas not otherwise permanently stabilized (permanent vegetation shall not be considered established until a ground cover is achieved that is uniform, mature enough to survive, and will inhibit erosion there is no % associated with this)
reduce erosion and sedimentation and reduce damage from sediment and runoff to downstream or off-site areas Minimum Standard 6 Traps and Basins sediment traps and basins shall be designed and constructed based upon the total drainage area (not just disturbed area) to be served by the trap or basin Sediment Traps minimum storage capacity shall be 134 cubic yards per acre of drainage area and shall only control drainage areas less than 3 acres stone outlet = trap Sediment Basins surface runoff from disturbed areas that is comprised of flow from drainage areas greater than or equal to 3 acres shall be controlled by a basin; minimum storage capacity of a sediment basin shall be 134 cubic yards per acre of drainage area; the outfall system shall, at a minimum, maintain the structural integrity of the basin during a 25-year storm of 24-hour duration; runoff coefficients used in runoff calculations shall correspond to a bare earth condition or those conditions expected to exist while the sediment basin is utilized. Sediment Trapping Devises
- place near the lowest drainage points of a project
- install as a first-step measure [MS-4]
- stabilize immediately [MS-5]
- must include outlet protection for basins [MS-11] Minimum Standard 7 Cut and Fill Slopes roughening the surface of the slope decreases runoff, lowers the velocity runoff, increases water retention, and leads to better seed germination slopes that are found to be eroding excessively within on year of permanent stabilization shall be provided with additional slop stabilizing measures until the problem is corrected storm sewers are designed to efficiently transport stormwater away from the site, so when sediment enters the storm sewer system, two negative effects can occur:
- when velocity of flow is high, much of the sediment will be quickly transported to the nearest receiving channel
- when velocity of the flow is low, the sediment may be deposited in the pipes resulting in clogging and potential flooding of a site during storm events prevents sediment from entering storm drainage systems prior to permanent stabilization of the disturbed area Silt Fence Drop Inlet Protection vs. Block and Gravel Drop Inlet Sediment Filter Block and gravel drop inlet - will have to clean out regularly but won't get damaged. Minimum Standard 11 Outlet Protection before newly constructed stormwater conveyance channels or pipes are made operational, adequate outlet protection and any required temporary or permanent channel lining shall be installed in both the conveyance channel and receiving channel
help protect sediment from entering the stream from construction within approach areas and minimize amount of disturbance within the stream itself Temporary Stream Crossing provide a means for construction traffic to cross flowing streams without damaging the channel or banks and keep sediment generated by construction traffic out of the stream Minimum Standard 14 all applicable federal, state, and local requirements pertaining to working in or crossing love watercourses shall be met all applicable permits need to be obtained and need to be available on site before construction in live water courses may start water bodies may be identified through wetlands delineation, followed by a jurisdictional determination by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wetlands and streams and other water bodies and the impact on these water bodies are usually indicated on plats, sometimes including permit numbers *jurisdiction or wetlands and shorelines in coastal areas and areas under the Chesapeake Bay Act may have complicated jurisdictional divisions Other regulating agencies involved in live watercourse activities
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (404 permit)
- DEQ's 401 permitting regulations
- Virginia's Marine Resources Commissions (VMRC)
- DGIF or local wetland board time of year restrictions Minimum Standard 15 Bed and Bank Stabilization
the bed and banks of a watercouse shall be stabilized immediately after work in the watercourse is completed (don't want to work in more areas than they can stabilize in one day - > stabilize as you go) when working in water, the safety of the workers and equipment is important; weather also factors in heavily when deciding to continue working in a watercourse or not due to potentially high flows of water protect streambanks from erosive forces of flowing water Minimum Standard 16 Utility Construction underground utility lines shall be installed in accordance with the following standards in addition to other applicable criteria:
- no more than 500 linear feet of trench may be opened at one time
- excavated material shall be placed on the uphill side of trenches
- effluent from dewatering operations shall be filtered or passed through approved sediment trapping devices (or both), before being discharged in a manner that does not adversely affect flowing streams or off-site property
- material used for backfilling trenches shall be properly compacted in order to minimize erosion and promote stabilization
- re-stabilization shall be accomplished in accordance with this chapter (9VAC25-
basic principle of controlling erosion and sedimentation on utility projects is to get the trench back-filled and stabilized as soon as possible
washing is only permitted after shoveling and sweeping of sediment Temporary Stone Construction Entrance reduce amount of mud transported onto paved public roads by motor vehicles or runoff Minimum Standard 18 Temporary Control Removal all temporary erosion and sediment control measures shall be removed within 30 days after final stabilization or after the temporary measures that are no longer needed, unless otherwise authorized by the VESCP authority trapped sediment and the disturbed soil areas resulting from the disposition of temporary measures shall be permanently stabilized to prevent further erosion and sedimentation temporary erosion and sediment control measures can become a problem if left in place beyond their useful life:
- sediment fences can trap widlife and small animals (ex. silt fence doesn't biodegrade, only photo-degrades - 6 month life span)
- sediment basins can become drowning hazards or sources of sediment in cases of failure, and they become unsightly (some sediment basins are designed to be converted to stormwater basins at the end of a project - this should only be done once final stabilization has been achieved) temporary control measures should be removed and the area should be stabilized as soon as their function has been completed or are no longer needed Minimum Standard 19
VESCP
Virginia Erosion and Sediment Control Program
- Administered by counties/cities (must), towns (may)
- MUST BE APPROVED Minimum Standard 1 Stabilization permanent or temporary soil stabilization shall be applied to denuded areas within seven days after final grade is reached on any portion of the site; temporary soil stabilization shall be applied within seven days to denuded areas that may not be at final grade but will remain dormant for longer than 14 days; permanent stabilization shall be applied to areas that are to be left dormant for more than one year Site NOT at Final Grade
- stabilize in 14 days
- temporarily seed
- mulch
- permanently stabilize if dormant > 1 year Standards and Criteria for Stormwater Discharges requires designers to evaulate the adequacy of the downstream manmade and/or natural channels to safely convey the developed condition runoff if existing natural or manmade channels or pipes are not adequate, the applicant shall:
- at time of plan submission, applicant can request a variance to become a part of the approved ESC plan
- applicant explains reasoning to VESCP authority in writing
- VESCP authority approves or disapproves the variance and documents the variance on plans
- during construction, person responsible for implementing the approved plan can request a variance (when field conditions/situation changes)
- request is made in writing to VESCP authority
- VESCP authority approves or disapproves the request
- If no response from VESCP authority within 10 days, the request is disapproved
- applicant may resubmit a variance request with additional documentation *cannot be granted for economic reasons VESCP authority shall consider variance requests judiciously, keeping in mind both the need of the applicant to maximize cost effectiveness and the need to protect off-site properties and resources from damage (9VAC25- 840 - 50) 9VAC25- 840 - 80 Criteria for determining status of land-disturbing activity A. program administrator shall determine the validity of a claim of exempt status by a property owner who disturbs 10,000 sf or more or 2,500 sf or more in all areas of jurisdictions designated as subject to the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area
Designation and Management Regulations (9VAC25-830); as soon as nonexempt status is determined, the requirements of the Act shall be immediately enforced. B. should a land-disturbing activity not begin during the 180-day period following plan approval or cease for more than 180 days, the VESCP authority may evaluate the existing approved erosion and sediment control plan to determine whether the plan still satisfies local and state erosion and sediment control criteria and to verify that all design factors are still valid; if VESCP authority find the previously filed plan to be inadequate, a modified plan shall be submitted and approved prior to the resumption of land-disturbing activity (no grand-fathering in erosion) Virginia Erosion and Sediment Control Program put in by the General Assembly to operate at the local level; for programs to prevent the unreasonable degradation of properties, stream channels, waters, and other natural resources ESC Program Goal "effective control of soil erosion, sediment deposition, and nonagricultural runoff...to prevent the unreasonable degradation of property, stream channels, waters, and other natural resources." (due to non-agricultural activities) protect downstream properties from
- sediment deposition
- damage due to increases in volume, velocity and peak flow rates or runoff Virginia Erosion and Sediment Control Law (ESCL) requires that State Water Control Board "shall develop a program and promulgate regulations for the effective control of soil erosion, sediment deposition, and non agricultural runoff that must be met in any control program to prevent the unreasonable degradation of properties, stream channels, waters, and other natural resources When compared to other land disturbing activities, why does construction produce so much more sediment volume?
stream channels, waters, and other natural resources; required all Counties and Cities in VA to adopt a local ESC program by July 1, 1974 1990 - General Assembly passed amendment requiring Soil and Water Conservation Commission to promulgate regulations for the administration, implementation and enforcement of the VESCL (effective May 1, 1990) 2012 - House Bill 1065 (integration bill) made some significant changes to the VESCL and VA Stormwater Mangement Act; required to align the VESCL with the SWMA nad that all counties, cities, and towns with regulated Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) programs adopt and administer local VA Stormwater Management Program (VSMP) effectively creating statewide stormwater management program that operates at the local level, much like what has been the case for the VESCP 2013 - amendments to VESCL to reflect Soil and Water Conservation Board and Department of Conservation and Recreation to State Water Control Board and Department of Environmental Quality now other pollutants are also monitored at construction sites (SWPPP which does include erosion and sediment control - details how erosion and sediment control measures will be implemented on the construction site)
- impervious surfaces (pavement and roofs) decreases site's ability to infiltrate rainwater Who has to be certified under the Local Erosion and Sediment Control Programs?
- program administrators
- inspectors
- plan reviewers
VESCL requires personnel working in a VESCP to obtain and maintain a certificate of competence in the area of erosion and sediment control (9VAC25-
Combined Administrator anyone who is responsible for performing the combined duties of program adminstrator, plan reviewer and project inspector of a VESCP authority 800 Hour Work Experience Form individuals with at least 800 hours of on-the-job work experience as a stormwater management program administrator, inspector, plan reviewer, or combined administrator may complete the form on the DEQ website instead of completing the DEQ training courses *still must pass the exam Provisional Certification from the day you complete your first required training courses and obtain a passing score on certification exam allows individuals to continue working for an authority while they seek full certification *individuals can only be provisionally certified ONCE per classification (this is a difference between erosion and sediment control vs stormwater management) Your certificate is good for how long? 3 years Can you re-certify in the last 12 months without losing the time of your certification? Yes, time will be added to your certification you need 18 contact hours in 3 years
erosion is a natural process, but in many places it is accelerated by human land activities that disturb the soil Five Stages of Soil Erosion
- raindrop impact
- sheet erosion
- rill erosion
- gully erosion
- channel erosion Raindrop Impact the first effect of a rainstorm on the soil dislodging soil particles and splashing then into the air; detached particles can be easily picked up by water flowing over a site and become sheet erosion; most significant type of erosion; the action of falling rain on disturbed or denuded soil is responsible for 90% or more of total soil erosion produces two damaging effects:
- detachment of soil particles
- sealing of the soil's surface erosive capacity comes from the energy of its motion (kinetic energy) *magnitude of this energy is dependent on the amount and intensity of rainfall, raindrop diameter, and raindrop velocity (larger raindrops strike soil even harder, spreading soil particles further) damaging effect of raindrops is the compacting, puddling, and sealing of the soil surface; repeated strikes churn the surface into a slurry, which seals pore spaces int he soil preventing water infiltration; as the continue to pound the land, raindrops will also compact the bare soil, forming an almost complete seal; even on course
sandy soil, this action reduces the infiltration of water into the soil and leads to increased erosion and runoff Most erosive rains are concentrated during what months? May through September *this is also the period when land-disturbing (construction) is most active Sheet Erosion second stage of erosion; soil's ability to infiltrate water is exceeded and water starts to run across the surface of the soil (sheet flow); although sheet erosion seldom detaches soil particles, the dislodges soil particles are transported by sheet flow Rill Erosion begins when shallow sheet flow begins to concentrate in low spots; as flow changes from sheet flow to deeper flow in these low areas, the velocity and turbulence increases; the energy of this concentrated flow detaches and transports soil material, cutting tiny channels or rills that are only a few inches deep; at this stage, hand tools or other surface treatments will easily repair erosion damage (topsoil) Gully Erosion occurs when rills converge to form larger channels or gullies; major difference between gully and rill erosion is size; gullies are too large to be restored with conventional tillage equipment and usually require heavy Channel Erosion can occur in two ways; typically you can observe vertical sides and down-cutting of the receiving channel
- when gullies are not repaired in time and large volumes of water increase the size of the gully
- in existing streams or drainage ways when the volume and velocity of flow destroys the structural integrity of stream beds and banks
