McKean County Conservation District - Erosion and Sedimentation

One of the District's primary focuses is the Erosion and Sedimentation Control (E&SC) Program. The emphasis of the overall program is the conservation of soil and water resources. The District administers the E&S program through a delegation agreement with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Bureau of Water Quality. Through the program, the District reviews and approves E&S control plans for earthmoving sites. Inspections of the sites are conducted to assure the plans are properly implemented, controls are installed, and sequences are followed. By doing this, the District strives to meet its goal of minimizing accelerated erosion and sediment pollution to the waters of the Commonwealth as a result of earthmoving activities.

Erosion is an ongoing process. It occurs naturally and continues to be a dominant force in shaping of earths landscape. It has the potential to become problematic when man exposes bare soil as a result of agricultural practices, timbering or excavation. With a lack of vegetation to protect the soil beneath, wind and water can readily erode and transport soil into nearby waterways, clogging them with fine sediments known as silt, clay or colloids. Runoff from bare soil may also contain chemicals, heavy metals and other pollutants that may be washed into the waters of the Commonwealth. The goal of this program is to control erosion and the resulting pollution to the waters of the Commonwealth.

When is an Erosion and Sediment Control (E&SC) Plan needed? This is a question that we at the District get asked regularly by municipalities, consulting firms and private individuals. As per the Chapter 102 Erosion and Sedimentation Control regulations, development of an erosion and sedimentation control plan is required for all earth disturbances of 5,000 square feet or greater. This would include timber harvesting or silviculture activities, which must submit a timber harvest plan. Additionally, persons proposing timber harvesting activities or road maintenance which disturb twenty-five (25) or more acres must apply for an Erosion and Sediment Control Permit.

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES)

Chapter 102 defines specific procedures and requirements of a program to help provide for the conservation of soil, water and related resources, for the control and prevention of soil erosion, and for preservation of natural resources. The Chapter 102 regulations require erosion control planning for all types of earthmoving. The new Chapter 102 regulations became effective on November 19, 2010. Below is a brief summary of how the changes may affect you:

· New requirements for post-construction stormwater management and riparian buffer requirements

· The base administrative filing fees for NPDES General Permit fee remains at $500. The base administrative filing fees for NPDES Individual Perment fee was raised to $1,500.

· A fee for all NPDES Permits has been added to include an additional $100 per disturbed acre to be submitted to DEP.

· Under the previous regulations, Erosion and Sediment (E&S) Plans were required for agricultural plowing, tilling and no-tilling actives that disturbed more than 5,000 square feet of land. In the revised regulations, this section was modified to require written E&S Plans for animal heavy use areas that disturb land of that same size.

· The DEP defines “animal heavy use areas” as: barnyards, feedlots, loafing areas, exercise lots, or other similar areas on an agricultural operation where it is not possible to establish and maintain vegetative cover of a density capable of minimizing accelerated erosion and sedimentation by usual planting methods. The term does not include entrances, pathways and walkways between areas where animals are housed or kept in concentration.

The District is always available for information and assistance on understanding and implementing the new regulations. You can get obtain a copy of the revised regulations at the following address:

Beginning January 1, 2009, the District will begin acknowledging General Permits associated with the Chapter 105 Program as delegated by DEP.

• Any of the General Permit (GP’s) notification forms should be sent to Mckean County Conservation District.
• Joint Encroachment Permit.
• Environmental Assessment Package HERE.
• PNDI Project Planning Environmental Review for permit applications: Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program
The DEP’s CHAPTER 93 WATER QUALITY STANDARDS HERE in McKean County (drainage lists L, P, Q and R).

Dirt and Gravel Road Maintenance Program

Twenty-eight thousand miles of unpaved roads provide local service to Pennsylvania's rural residents and the major enterprises of agriculture, tourism, mining/mineral industries, and forest products. Although they are inexpensive to maintain, loss of fine materials from the roads and their drainage areas creates dust and sediment. If not properly maintained, these roads can become sources of runoff and pollution to neighboring streams and waterways. Runoff in our waterways depletes the oxygen levels, smothering aquatic life that supports our fisheries. Dirt roads that are not properly maintained become large providers of dust and sediment.

On April 17, 1997 the PA General Assembly approved House Bill 67 as amended, the Transportation Revenue Bill. This bill was signed into law as Act 3 of 1997. Included in this law is $5 million annually earmarked for Dirt and Gravel Roads Maintenance. $4 million goes directly to the State Conservation Commission while the remaining $1 million goes to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for maintenance on state forestry roads.

The program came into being in response to concerns voiced by members of Pennsylvania Trout (a council of "Trout Unlimited") over problems cause by sediment pollution from unpaved roads in the state's premier trout streams. Subsequent follow-up efforts included creation of a Task Force on Dirt & Gravel Roads that was a cooperative working group consisting of state department personnel, sportsmen, environmental resource agency officials, local government representatives, private companies, Penn State researchers, legislative staff, and citizen environmental group members. Both Pennsylvania Trout and the Task Force recommended a locally based, locally controlled, cooperative approach to eliminate non-point source pollution occurring along these rural roadways.

In January 2001, the Center for Dirt & Gravel Road Studies was established at Penn State University. The Center works closely with the State Conservation Commission, Conservation Districts, Quality Assurance Boards, and local municipalities to research improved maintenance techniques, provide “hands-on” technical assistance & training, appropriate maintenance practices and products, and broaden the impact of this pollution prevention effort.

The State Conservation Commission apportions Dirt & Gravel Road Maintenance funds to the County Conservation Districts. A Quality Assurance Board (QAB) has been created in Berks County by the Berks County Conservation District to establish and administer the grant program. The QAB is responsible to encourage local cooperation with environmental quality goals, to provide adequate opportunity for public input, and to ensure participation amongst a wide spectrum of environmental expertise at all levels of government.
The four-member QAB is comprised of: A non-voting chairman appointed by the McKean County Conservation District Directors and one local representative appointed by each of the following entities:

     The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (federal)
     The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (state)
     The McKean County Conservation District (local)

Local municipalities and state agencies that maintain dirt and gravel roads are eligible to receive funding. However, to be eligible for the program, the participant must first attend a two-day training session for “Environmentally Sensitive Maintenance of Dirt and Gravel Roads”. To request funding, applicants submit a one-page application to the local Quality Assurance Board (QAB). The QAB, in turn, reviews the applications. To ensure equal access to the funds, the QAB establishes local priorities to prevent pollution. To be eligible, projects must employ “environmentally sound” maintenance practices and products to correct pollution problems related to the roadway.

The State Conservation Commission adopted the following policy regarding training for municipalities and other grant recipients: Effective January 1, 2006 at least one person representing the entity that has applied for funds from the Dirt and Gravel Road Maintenance Program must have attended environmentally sensitive maintenance training for dirt and gravel roads within the past five (5) calendar years. A municipality may not submit an application if it does not have at least one person who has attended the training within 5 years of the date of an application.

Interested municipal officials can contact the District office for further details. For a schedule of training events and program information visit the Pennsylvania Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies

McKean County Conservation District - Erosion &

Sedimentation

Erosion and Sedimentation Control Program (E&S) Chapter 102

Dirt and Gravel Road Maintenance Program