PERFORMANCE GOALS AND EFFECTIVENESS OF SEDIMENT AND EROSION CONTROL PLANS

Designers need a quantitative method to assess the effectiveness of their sediment and erosion control plans to minimize sediment yields from a construction site. This paper presents the development of a simple method to calculate site specific performance goals and provides a way to evaluate the effectiveness of BMPs to meet these goals.Performance goals for a construction site are developed by comparing historic to bare ground sediment yields along with incorporating parameters found in the MUSLE and the SCS Curve Number Method. The effectiveness of BMPs proposed on a sediment and erosion control plan to meet site specific performance goals is calculated by comparing potential sediment yields from bare ground and treated areas.Three discharge points of runoff from a hypothetical subdivision are analyzed to evaluate how performance goals will vary depending upon changes in contributing areas, slopes, and flow path lengths of runoff waters. Once these values have been determined, the effectiveness of proposed sediment and erosion control measures is analyzed to assess their ability to meet required performance goals. The results of these exercises allow a designer to better understand and demonstrate what is necessary for effective control of sediment from construction sites due to runoff events.