Glossary

SWPPP

Also: stormwater pollution prevention plan

The site's plan for keeping sediment and runoff in place during construction, required with a construction stormwater permit.

A stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP, said "swip") sets out the silt fence, sediment basins, stabilized entrances and inspections a site will use while the ground is open. It is prepared before the construction stormwater permit is filed and kept on site.

The plan itself is rarely public, but the work it calls for is among the first on site: erosion control crews, inspectors and the civil contractor who builds the basins are often the first trades to mobilize.