SWPPPs and erosion and sediment control plans in Texas

What these documents cover

The erosion and sediment control plan is a sheet in the civil set. It shows where the controls go while the site is torn up: silt fence, vehicle tracking control, a concrete washout and seeding, as the site needs. The SWPPP is the written plan behind it. TCEQ calls it an SWP3 and describes it as a document that sets out the construction plans and the best management practices (BMPs) that keep pollutants out of stormwater runoff.

When you need them

• One acre or more. In Texas, construction that disturbs one acre or more and discharges stormwater to surface water in the state is covered by TCEQ's construction general permit, TXR150000.
• Part of a larger plan. A small lot counts if it is part of a larger common plan of development or sale that will disturb one acre or more.
• Large or small. TCEQ treats 5 acres or more as a large construction activity and 1 to under 5 acres as a small one. Each has its own site notice form.
• Before construction starts. The permit requires the site operator to develop and put the SWPPP in place before construction begins.
• For site plan review. The erosion control sheet goes in the civil set as your city or county asks.

On most sites this is coverage under a general permit, not a permit TCEQ issues to you. The operators file for coverage and keep the SWPPP. Operators with day-to-day control of the site carry SWPPP duties, so the contractor is often part of it.

What we do

1. Size the disturbance from the site and grading plan, including any larger plan the site is part of.
2. Draw the erosion and sediment control plan on the same base as the grading, storm and paving sheets, so the controls match the final grades and drainage.
3. Write the SWPPP for the site.
4. Prepare the notice of intent and the site notice for the operators to sign. TCEQ takes the NOI online through its STEERS system.
5. Check before it goes out. A reviewer who is not the designer checks every set, erosion control sheets included.
6. Answer review. We answer the city's or county's comments and update every sheet the change touches.

On battery storage sites

On a battery storage site we carry the stormwater documentation outside the fence as part of one battery storage scope with one fee. The same scope line covers the water tap design and the 911 address, which we handle alongside the SWPPP. See battery storage site civil.

What you get

• An erosion and sediment control plan sheet, with details, in the sealed civil set.
• A SWPPP for the site.
• The notice of intent and site notice, ready for the operators to sign and file.
• Written responses to each round of review comments.

What affects time and cost

• Disturbed acreage. Large and small sites carry different paperwork under the permit.
• Other agencies. Over the Edwards Aquifer, TCEQ must approve a protection plan under 30 TAC Chapter 213 before regulated work starts. That review runs on its own clock.
• The permit itself. TXR150000 expires March 5, 2028, and TCEQ has started its renewal, so the requirements may change.
• Review rounds. Agency review time depends on the city, the county or TCEQ. It is not ours to promise.