What is the minimum land disturbance in acres that triggers this permit?

What is the minimum land disturbance in acres that triggers this permit?

• A. 0.5 acres
• B. 1 acre
• C. 2 acres
• D. 5 acres

Answer: (B)

The rule hinges on the amount of land disturbance that requires active stormwater management. For construction-related discharges, a permit is triggered when the project disturbs one acre or more of land. This one-acre threshold exists so that erosion and sediment control measures can be planned and implemented through a stormwater pollution prevention plan. If the project is smaller than one acre but is part of a larger common plan of development or sale that will disturb one acre or more in total, the permit can still apply to that overall plan. Therefore, the minimum disturbance that triggers the permit is one acre. Disturbances smaller than that, such as half an acre, do not by themselves require coverage, while larger numbers (two or five acres) exceed the threshold but aren’t the minimum.

The rule hinges on the amount of land disturbance that requires active stormwater management. For construction-related discharges, a permit is triggered when the project disturbs one acre or more of land. This one-acre threshold exists so that erosion and sediment control measures can be planned and implemented through a stormwater pollution prevention plan. If the project is smaller than one acre but is part of a larger common plan of development or sale that will disturb one acre or more in total, the permit can still apply to that overall plan.

Therefore, the minimum disturbance that triggers the permit is one acre. Disturbances smaller than that, such as half an acre, do not by themselves require coverage, while larger numbers (two or five acres) exceed the threshold but aren’t the minimum.