The Montana General Permit for Stormwater Discharges Associated with Construction Activity online course is designed to educate students on the permitting requirements and Best Management Practices used for managing pollutants and stormwater for construction projects within the state of Montana.

The full title of this permit is the Montana DEQ General Permit for Stormwater Discharges Associated with Construction Activity – Authorization to Discharge Under the Montana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.

At the end of this course, students will have a comprehensive understanding of the regulatory mandates and requirements associated with stormwater management for construction project sites authorized to discharge stormwater and remain in compliance with the Department of Environmental Quality.

In compliance with the Montana Code Annotated, Administrative Rules of Montana, owners and operators (permittees) with authorization under this General Permit are permitted to discharge stormwater resulting from construction activities as described in this permit and subject to:

• Effluent limitations,
• Monitoring requirements, and
• Other conditions detailed in this permit.

Throughout the U.S. and the world, erosion is one of the leading contributors to water impairment. Erosion is the process by which soil particles are dislodged by water or wind.  There is a natural rate of erosion on all soils across the planet, this course drives home how to address the artificially increased rate of erosion due to soil disturbance on a construction site. 

This course covers erosion and how it occurs; impacts of erosion on the environment and the economy; the factors that affect erosion; information on vegetation establishment; topsoil and fertilizers; mulch and compost; rolled erosion control devices; and surface roughening. 

Sediment controls are devices or products which slow or pond the overland flow to dissipate water energy so that sediment will fall or settle out.  While the final stabilization aims at reducing the erosion across the site, this important step doesn’t usually occur until the last 10-25% of the project. Therefore, sediment control is the largest single control measure aimed at preventing the discharge of loose sediment from the site until erosion controls and final stabilization can be achieved.

This course is specifically designed for stormwater management and covers proper installation and placement of silt fence; check dams; wattles; inlet protection; pond types; outlet structures; flocculants; dewatering; and turbidity barriers as they relate to stormwater regulations.

Stormwater regulations mandate that construction projects implement effective waste management practices.  Not only are these control measures required for compliance, but historically those with a better understanding of good housekeeping measures and implementing them experience less overall enforcement on their site.

This course covers good housekeeping practices, the proper installation and maintenance requirements of best management practices (BMPs), management of solid waste, sanitary waste, and hazardous waste; concrete washout; dust control; and construction exits.

This course covers inspection rules and protocol; reviewing the SWPPP for compliance; forms in the SWPPP; updating the SWPPP; site inspections of best management practices (BMPs): proper installation and maintenance of devices; and documentation of inspections.  Self-inspection is not only a requirement of the permit coverage for the site, but it also allows for a regular, methodical analysis of the deployed BMP’s. This allows the inspector to identify changes to the site, missing or inadequate control measures, as well as addressing any required maintenance or corrective actions to get the site back into compliance.