What is BMP?

Best Management Practices (BMPs), are devices used to reduce pollution in stormwater runoff, thereby protecting area waterways. These practices are often permanent facilities designed to handle stormwater runoff for a specific area. As a property owner or Homeowners Association, you may be responsible for maintenance of a BMP.

The effectiveness of post-construction stormwater control BMPs depends upon regular inspections and maintenance of all aspects of the facility. There are typically two types of BMP maintenance, referred to as routine maintenance and corrective maintenance. Corrective maintenance consists of repairs preformed to correct a deficient part of the BMP facility as identified in the inspection. Maintenance actions returns the BMP component to the original design conditions for proper function.

Routine Maintenance

Routine maintenance consists of preventative measure that are essential to the ongoing care and upkeep of a BMP facility, and it should be preformed regularly to ensure proper function. Additionally, it helps prevent potential nuisances (odors, mosquitos, weeds, etc…), reduces the need for corrective problems before they further deteriorate. The failure of structural stormwater runoff by identifying BMPs can lad to downsteam flooding, which can cause property damage, injury and even death. This also leads to costly repairs.

Remove any accumulated sediment from the forebays and micro-pools
Replace any plantings or vegetation called for in the approved plans that has died or is diseased
Repair the stormwater structures for erosion or undercutting as needed
Repair any erosion in the facility, including sloughing, animal burrows and slopes
Repair any deterioration at the outfall of the facility, including the riprap outlet protection
Remove blockages of all trash racks, inlets and outlets
Maintain adequate access to the facility and remove woody vegetation as needed
Exercise values to prevent them from locking up where applicable
Remove all trash, debris and floatables periodically from the facility

Corrective Maintenance

Corrective maintenance is any maintenance that should be addresses for the facility to properly function in accordance with the plans. These items require more intensive repair efforts and should be addresses as a higher priority than routine maintenance. If there are structural deficiencies, or issues that raise the water level in the facility beyond the design requirement, corrective action is required.

Repair any deterioration or issues with he principal spillway and riser, such as evidence of spalling, joint failure, leakage, corrosion, etc…
Extensive sediment removal is required when inspections indicate that 50% of the forebay sediment storage capacity has been filled
Control or remove invasive species with their coverage exceeds 15% of a wetland cell as soon as possible. Take care to preserve the designated plantings and vegetation
All woody vegetation should be removed from the embankment, if present, to prevent structural damage. Additionally, removal of growth should be considered more frequently if there are impact to the storage volume (i.e. water levels rise because the vegetation is taking up the water storage space).

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