Many construction projects require a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) which is a site specific document prepared by a Qualified SWPPP Developer (QSD). The purpose of the SWPPP is to control runoff from a construction site. The Qualified SWPPP Practitioner (QSP) is the person responsible for ensuring compliance with the SWPPP.

Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPP) are approved by the State Water Resources Control Board via the Storm Water Multiple Application and Report Tracking System (SMARTS) for permit coverage. The City of Redlands reviews SWPPPs for projects located within its jurisdiction.

The City of Redlands requires that all SWPPPs be submitted for the City’s review to determine that it is within the guidelines developed by the City to insure that granting a permit for construction will not violate any requirements of the SWPPP or the City of Redlands Ordinances, Guidelines or Provisions and that the SWPPP is consistent with the other construction plans submitted. The City will recognize a SWPPP as being suitable for City permit issuance prior to it being submitted to SMARTS; however, a City construction permit will not be issued until approval of the SWPPP has been granted by the State Water Resources Control Board and a Waste Discharge Identification (WDID) number has been issued by the State.

For ease of plan checking, the City of Redlands recommends that all project proponents use the California Stormwater Quality Association (CASQA) SWPPP template and CASQA BMP fact sheets and details. While the City of Redlands will accept any SWPPP format that the State Water Resources Control Board has accepted, there is the possibility that plan review times and fees will increase significantly due to an unfamiliar format. All submitted SWPPPs must be both project specific and agency specific.

Construction Site Inspections

The General Construction Permit requires that each construction site be inspected for compliance with their SWPPP. Responsibility for inspections rests with the site owner with oversight provided by the City. The frequency of the oversight inspections is determined by the risk level for discharge from your site, with most sites requiring oversight inspections only two to three times a year unless there is a violation or a complaint is filed concerning possible SWPPP violations. If the complaint proves valid or the site is in violation, then weekly follow-up inspections must be made until the site and any issues are in compliance. There is no upper end to the number of follow-up inspections that may have to occur. These follow-up inspections are an added expense to the City in terms of manpower, materials and reporting.

Redlands Municipal Code Section 13.54.310, Recovery of Additional Inspection Costs, is in place to allow for the reimbursement of the additional costs created by the follow-up inspections. Under the City’s current resolution for fee collection, the fee for follow-up SWPPP inspections is $482 (2015). The contractor is responsible for these fees.

There will be no charge for the initial SWPPP inspection or any subsequent routine inspections as required under the General Construction Permit. The City will only charge for those additional follow-up inspections required because of non-compliance. Fees for follow-up SWPPP inspections do not exempt the project from stop-work orders, administrative actions, criminal charges, or any other method currently used to enforce the SWPPP.

Follow-up inspection fees can be avoided by complying with the SWPPP and the General Construction Permit.