| The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) recently published several updates to their website in an effort to make it easier to access the various regulations, handbooks, manuals, design specifications, and materials that are essential to our industry. Much of this information was either scattered or buried on DEQ’s website or not available online. The links to the new and revised pages are below.
DEQ Director Mike Rolband and his team are also looking to expand the Department’s communications with the regulated community and citizens. If you would like to receive future updates and notifications from the Department, please click here. You can find an archive of the Department’s recent announcements here.
· Updated Stormwater Page: The updated page includes links to MS4, construction, and the new Industrial webpage.
· Updated Construction Stormwater Page: The updated page includes an introduction that makes the format more similar to the MS4 webpage. The introduction includes links to Virginia’s construction-stormwater laws and regulations. It also includes a link to the most recently passed and signed bill from the 2022 GA session. Finally, it links to the website’s Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act and Nutrient Trading webpages, which affect stormwater construction.
· New Stormwater Handbooks webpage: This is a new webpage that includes downloadable files of combined and individual chapters of the 1992 E&S, 1999 SWM, and 2013 DRAFT SWM handbooks. Notably, it includes the Technical Bulletins for the 1999 SWM.
· New Stormwater Manuals webpage: This is a new webpage that provides downloadable files of the Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance Manual and its Information Bulletins. I believe this is the first time that these files have been available electronically. In addition, it links to VDOT’s Drainage Manual and BMP Maintenance Manual.
· New Guidance & VRRM webpage: This is a new webpage that includes links to guidance memoranda and documents issued by DEQ and other agencies that affect construction SW compliance. The DEQ Guidance links to documents on Town Hall. The VRRM accordion box includes the VRRM guidance and both compliance spreadsheets. The VDH guidance links to VDH’s rainwater harvesting guidelines.
· New BMP Design Specifications webpage: This is a new webpage that includes links to all post-development BMP specifications. It also includes the approval letters for proprietary BMPs. It also includes downloadable copies of the Annual Standards & Specifications documents.
· New Industrial Stormwater webpage: This is a new webpage that consolidates various webpages’ industrial permit content. It also includes links to each of the SWPPP requirements.
· Updated Stormwater – MS4 webpage: The updated webpage includes links to laws and regulations providing DEQ with authority to regulate municipal stormwater.
· Updated Water Laws & Regulations webpage: The updated page provides new accordion boxes with links to updated stormwater webpages including a new Stormwater – Industrial permits webpage. |
