DEP To Have New Draft Under 5 Acre General Permit For Erosion Control Available In July To Begin Public Review

On June 20, Ramez Ziadeh, P.E., DEP Executive Deputy for Programs, told DEP’s Agricultural Advisory Board the new draft PAG-01 General Permit for erosion and sedimentation control for projects under 5 acres will be available about July 10 to begin the public review process.

The draft will be posted on the DEP Water Resources Advisory Committee webpage and discussed at the July 25 meeting of the Committee.
The Agricultural Advisory Board heard a presentation on the PAG-01 General Permit and its major provisions.

The draft PAG-01 DEP is working with would apply to a project site of under 5 acres where the impervious surface totals no more than 20,000 square feet or 12 percent of the site, whichever is less.

Ziadeh said DEP worked with Villanova University’s Stormwater research program to develop cookie-cutter, non-structural Best Management Practices, like a rain garden, landowners could use without doing engineering work and specific calculations for the site.

He said the basic design theory behind the new General Permit is that stormwater hitting an under 5 acre site with limited impervious surface and if the prescribed BMPs are installed, will be treated and dissipate on the site.

The new PAG-01 would be a master permit that once finalized individual landowners could request coverage under through a simplified notice to DEP without engineering work and with limited expense.

Ziadeh said about 40 percent of the 1,700  PAG-02 permit applications received by DEP for review could be eligible for coverage under the new PAG-01 simplified permit or about 680 permits or so.

Members of the Agricultural Advisory Board agreed to form a special committee to review the draft PAG-01 General Permit and provide feedback to DEP.

The PAG-01 is part of a series of initiatives by DEP to simplify and speed up permit reviews under the Chapter 102 (Erosion and Sedimentation Control) and Chapter 105 (Dam Safety and Encroachment) Permit Programs.

For more information and available handouts, visit the DEP Agricultural Advisory Board webpage.  Questions should be directed to Jay Braund by calling 717-772-5636 or send email to: jbraund@pa.gov.

(Photo: Example of a construction-related rain garden.  Cumberland County Conservation District.)

Related Article:

More Than Half Of E&S Permit Applications Submitted Are Incomplete; Consultants Take 6 Weeks To Respond To Deficiencies