Cleanwater Requirements for Construction Sites

Construction contractors are responsible for any activities on the properties under construction that lead to non-stormwater discharges to the street, gutter, or storm drain. The Clean Water Program’s friendly and knowledgeable staff support businesses like yours in preventing water pollution and complying with stormwater regulations.

Keep wash waters, waste waters, sediment, trash, paint, and debris OUT of the storm drains.

General Practices

  • Keep your project site neat and clean.
  • Keep all debris, sediment, and sediment-laden water on site.
  • Know project’s pollution sources, such as sediment, automotive fluids, paints, solvents, pesticides, litter, cement, concrete washout, and landscape wastes and keep them out of the storm drain system.
  • Protect storm drain inlets from pollution of any kind.
  • Protect construction materials from rain and runoff.
  • Keep spill cleanup materials accessible.
  • Sweep paved surfaces and pick up litter regularly.
  • Inspect equipment and vehicles often for leaks. Use drip pan or pads until leaks can be fixed.
  • Use appropriate erosion and sediment controls.

Training Employees and Subcontractors

  • Train all workers to keep the project site neat and clean.
  • Only rain down the drain. Follow the law and do not hose any liquid or solid material into streets or storm drains, or to locations where it could be carried to streets or storm drains by rainwater.
  • Post signs and/or notify workers to keep all dumpster and waste container lids closed, outdoor areas clean, and to point out the location of spill cleanup materials.

Materials Management

  • Perform work indoors or under cover whenever possible, to avoid exposure to rainfall, runoff, and wind.
  • Store all equipment, materials, and waste products indoors.
  • Contain and vacuum particles and dust.

Painting

  • Never clean brushes or rinse paint containers into a street, gutter, storm drain, or creek.
  • Paint out brushes to the extent possible to remove excess paint.
  • For water-based paints, rinse into a drain that goes to the sanitary sewer.
  • Recycle unused paint.
  • For oil-based paints, clean with thinner or solvent and dispose of leftover liquid as hazardous waste via the Alameda County Household Hazardous Waste drop-off locations.

Concrete Work/Saw Cutting

  • Completely cover and protect storm drains from concrete or saw-cut slurry.
  • Shovel, absorb or vacuum saw-cut slurry and pick up immediately after finishing a location or ending a day.
  • Wash out concrete equipment/trucks off site or into contained washout areas that won’t allow discharge of wash water on to the soil or surrounding area. Let wash water evaporate and then properly dispose of solid material.

Outdoor Storage & Waste Areas

  • Cover and contain outdoor materials and stockpiles when not in-use.
  • Use containment pallets to elevate materials.
  • Stockpiles placed on paved surfaces must have a liner.
  • Stockpiles should not be placed in the gutter.
  • Have the right size, type, and number of waste containers/dumpsters/bins for your work. Place containers under cover with lids or tarps/plastic sheeting. Never clean out a dumpster by washing it down.
  • Use secondary containment when storing fluids outside.
  • Store all items and porta potties far from storm drain inlets.
  • Use drip pans under outdoor work and equipment areas where there is the potential for spills and leaks.

Cleaning and Emergency Spill Control

  • Clean up any spills immediately using dry clean methods to the extent possible.
  • For drips or spills, absorbents, rags, or cat litter may be used, then swept up and properly disposed.
  • If wet cleaning methods are required, block storm drains, use minimal water, and collect wash water for proper disposal.

Key Definitions

The Storm Drain System was built to collect and transport rain to prevent flooding in urban areas. Anything that flows or is discharged into the storm drain system goes directly into local creeks or San Francisco Bay without any treatment.

The Sanitary Sewer System collects and transports sanitary wastes from interior building plumbing systems to the wastewater treatment plant where the wastewater is treated.

Local Stormwater Agencies

For advice on avoiding disposal to the storm drain system, contact:

For More Help

For advice and approval on wastewater disposal to the sanitary sewer system, contact:

 

Version 1 - December 07, 2022

Clean Water Program

Polluted stormwater from construction activities flowing into the street or storm drains damages sensitive habitats and can kill wildlife. Water flowing into storm drains travels directly to local creeks and then to San Francisco Bay. It does not go to a wastewater treatment plant. Learn more about the Clean Water Program

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