Maintenance Inspection Checklists, Notifications and Reminders

 

To ensure high-quality, long-term performance, Stormwater Treatment Practices (STPs) need to be inspected on a regular basis by community stakeholders and stormwater management professionals. STP maintenance inspections are intended to do the following:

The STP Inspection Process

STP inspection includes four major steps:

  1. Notification of Inspection
  2. Pre-Inspection Preparation
  3. Conducting the Inspection Using Checklists
  4. Inspection Follow-up and Maintenance Notification

Links to several downloadable items are provided in this section. Documents in .pdf format require the Adobe Acrobat reader, which you can download for free here.

Who Should Conduct STP Inspections?

Inspections should be conducted by community stakeholders and stormwater management professionals. Community stakeholders are people who live or work close to the site and might include homeowners, homeowners' associations and/or commercial property owners. Stormwater management professionals are contractors or government staff that carry out the STP inspection. Both the community stakeholders and stormwater management professional play significant, yet different, roles in the proper maintenance of STPs. It is important to understand each group's strengths and limitations in order to maximize their contribution to STP maintenance.

Community stakeholders have the advantage of location. Homeowners and business owners may feel some ownership of the STP since it is in "their" neighborhood. This connection can be further fostered through watershed education (see STP Maintenance Educational Materials) to help them understand their role in how maintaining "their" STP is ultimately protecting their watershed, homes and livelihood. Once they have a vested interest in the STP they will be more willing to help monitor and maintain it. And since they are close to the site, general inspections can be made more frequently than the local government staff. Routine homeowner inspection is the best way to catch potential problems before they become a liability.

Checklists are an easy tool to help citizens maintain their STP. Checklists should give explicit directions calling for basic observations to be made. Minimizing the gathering of subjective data is important since evaluators bring different backgrounds and experiences to the task. A sample of a Homeowner Pond Inspection Checklist is included in this section.

The stormwater management professional has the advantage of having more detailed knowledge and information about the structure, allowing them to more easily identify less obvious problems and determine the appropriate steps to be taken to correct the situation.

Notification of Inspection

Inspection and maintenance of STPs are often the responsibility of two separate entities. Since the local government is accountable for ensuring the region's stormwater management system is operating within State and Federal regulations, inspections are typically conducted by either their own personnel or a private contractor under their authority. However, the duty of maintaining the site frequently falls to the hands of a private homeowner, homeowner association or commercial property owner. Communication between the local government and the STP manager/owner is key to ensuring long-term and effective STP operation.

All correspondence should provide detailed information about what the STP manager/owner can expect. This will allow the STP manager/owner to better understand and be prepared for the role he/she or the community plays during the entire process. Effective communication can eliminate unnecessary concerns and confusion on the part of the STP owner and provide a base for legal action for the enforcing agency. The greater the clarity, the smoother the process will be for all involved.

All correspondence should include the same basic information:

Prior to inspection, a Notification of Inspection Letter should be sent to the STP manager/owner. This letter serves several purposes:

    1. Informs the manager that he/she should expect someone to be on their property
    2. Encourages routine maintenance to be performed
    3. Notifies the manager of any special pre-inspection actions that must be completed
    4. Secures the name of the person who oversees the maintenance of the STP

A Notification of Inspection Letter should include the basic information listed above, along with all of the following information:

Here are two samples of facility inspection notification letters:

Pre-Inspection Preparation

Prior to STP inspection, the inspector(s) will have to gather a number of materials and equipment that fall under three categories:

A list of the materials and equipment that should accompany any inspector is presented below:

STP Inspection Equipment/Materials
Quantity Required for:
Public Communications Materials
Jurisdiction Permission Letter (for 3rd party inspectors)
multiple All STPs
Jurisdiction contact list
multiple All STPs
Educational brochures, materials
multiple All STPs
STP-Specific Information
Blank inspection checklists
multiple All STPs
Site plans/as-built drawings
per facility All STPs
Facility type and outfall pipe size
per facility All STPs
Facility location
per facility All STPs
Previous inspection results (Reports, redlines and photos)
per facility All STPs
Confined Space Entry permit (as needed)
per facility Underground Confined Space Entry (CSE)
Inspection Equipment
Clipboard w/Forms, Pencil and Compass
1 All STPs
Area Map
1 All STPs
Mobile Telephone
1 All STPs
Two-Way Radio w/charged batteries
2 All STPs
100' Measuring Tape
1 All STPs
25' Retractable Scale
1 All STPs
Bolt Cutters
1 All STPs
Cans of Orange Spray Paint
2 All STPs
Crow Bar
1 All STPs
Digital Camera
1 All STPs
First Aid Kit
1 All STPs
Flashlight w/charged batteries
1 All STPs
Goggles or Safety Glasses
2 All STPs
Hardhats
2 All STPs
Leather Gloves
2 All STPs
Manhole Cover Tool / Puller
1 All STPs
Pair of Hard Sole Boots (wear)
2 All STPs
Pair of Rubber Boots (as-needed)
2 All STPs
Roll of Orange Tie-off Tape
1 All STPs
Std. Size Bolt Locks and Keys (for pond gates)
2 All STPs
Waterproof Carrying Bag
1 All STPs
Machete or Pruning Sheers
1 Above ground
Monkey Wrench
1 Above ground
Standard Shovel
1 Above ground
Observation Well Cap Wrenches
1/Size Infiltration facilities only
Small Size Bolt Lock and Key (for well caps)
1 Infiltration facilities only
100' Rope
1 Underground CSE
Air Monitor/Meter w/charged batteries
1 Underground CSE
Orange Pylons/Traffic Cones
4 Underground CSE
Spot light
1 Underground CSE
5 Minute Air Supply
1 Underground CSE (as-needed)
Full Face Respirator
1 Underground CSE (as-needed)
Recalibration Kit
1 Underground CSE (as-needed)
Ventilation/Forced Air Blower
1 Underground CSE (as-needed)

Conducting the Inspection Using Checklists

Professional inspection checklists should outline the minimum elements to be examined during inspection, but should be detailed enough and formatted in such a way that information output is maximized. The checklists should have the following characteristics:

Professional checklist samples provided in this section are divided by specific STP type. An Oil/Grit Separator Maintenance Inspection Form is also included, although they are considered hydrodynamic structures and are not generally accepted as stand-alone STPs. Please remember each site has unique characteristics that may require modification to the checklist to best manage your site.

For suggested frequency of maintenance and inspection refer to the Maintenance Frequency section (coming soon).

Checklists are provided for the following stormwater treatment practices: