Construction General Permit for Stormwater: 6-Year Review of Enforcement Statistics

CICWQ uses State of California Water Resources Control Board data collected on water quality permit enforcement to examine the types of compliance issues that arise, document the frequency of occurrence, and identify trends.

We do this to help educate and train the construction industry to avoid costly compliance violation fines, and penalties. The 2016-2021 data review emphasizes compliance with the Construction General Permit for stormwater discharges from all types of construction sites in California.

For the past five years, on average, there have been 11,000 active construction projects under regulation. Of those projects, anywhere between 12 and 33 percent are inspected at least once annually. The most common violations fall into three categories:

1. Late or insufficient reports

2. Stormwater best management practice (BMP) deficiencies or failures

3. Incomplete or inadequate stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) preparation and implementation actions

---

---

CICWQ has done similar data analysis in the past using State of California data. You can review this prior analysis on our “Analysis of Construction Industry Stormwater Permit Enforcement Data and Recommendations for Industry Improvements” blog.