APPLICANT PACKET - Virginia Department of Conservation and ...
APPLICANT PACKET - Virginia Department of Conservation and ...
APPLICANT PACKET - Virginia Department of Conservation and ...
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LAW AND REGULATIONS SECTION<br />
LEARNING OBJECTIVES<br />
1. To become familiar with essential terminology in the <strong>Virginia</strong> Erosion & Sediment Control Law.<br />
2. To underst<strong>and</strong> the l<strong>and</strong>-disturbing activities that are regulated by the <strong>Virginia</strong> Erosion &<br />
Sediment Control Law.<br />
3. To underst<strong>and</strong> the regulatory authority for l<strong>and</strong>-disturbing activities on private, state, <strong>and</strong> federal<br />
l<strong>and</strong>s under the <strong>Virginia</strong> Erosion & Sediment Control Law<br />
4. To learn the 19 Minimum St<strong>and</strong>ards for erosion <strong>and</strong> sediment control m<strong>and</strong>ated by the <strong>Virginia</strong><br />
Erosion & Sediment Control Regulations.<br />
DEFINITIONS<br />
INSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS<br />
Below are the definitions <strong>of</strong> several terms that are essential to underst<strong>and</strong>ing the <strong>Virginia</strong> Erosion<br />
& Sediment Control Law (Law) <strong>and</strong> Erosion <strong>and</strong> Sediment Control (ESC) Program implementation.<br />
L<strong>and</strong>-Disturbing Activity means “any l<strong>and</strong> change which may result in soil erosion from water or wind<br />
<strong>and</strong> the movement <strong>of</strong> sediments into state waters or onto l<strong>and</strong>s in the Commonwealth, including, but not<br />
limited to, clearing, grading, excavating, <strong>and</strong> transporting, <strong>and</strong> filling <strong>of</strong> l<strong>and</strong>.” The Law is intended to<br />
regulate l<strong>and</strong>-disturbing activities exceeding 10,000 square feet in area; however, the thirteen activities<br />
briefly listed below are specifically exempt from the definition:<br />
1. Minor l<strong>and</strong>-disturbing activities <strong>and</strong> individual home l<strong>and</strong>scaping, repairs, <strong>and</strong> maintenance<br />
work;<br />
2. Individual service connections;<br />
3. Installation, maintenance, or repair <strong>of</strong> any underground public utility lines when such activity is<br />
confined to an existing hard surfaced road, street, or sidewalk;<br />
4. Septic tank lines or drainage fields unless included in an overall plan for l<strong>and</strong>-disturbing<br />
activity relating to construction <strong>of</strong> the building to be served by the septic tank system;<br />
5. Surface or deep mining;<br />
6. Exploration or drilling for oil <strong>and</strong> gas including the well site, roads, feeder lines <strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong>f-site<br />
disposal areas;<br />
7. Tilling, planting, or harvesting <strong>of</strong> agricultural, horticultural, or forest crops, or livestock feedlot<br />
operations; including a specific list <strong>of</strong> engineering operations;<br />
8. Repair or rebuilding <strong>of</strong> the tracks, right-<strong>of</strong>-way, bridges, communication facilities <strong>and</strong> other<br />
related structures, <strong>and</strong> facilities <strong>of</strong> a railroad company;<br />
9. Agricultural engineering operations including but not limited to the construction <strong>of</strong> terraces,<br />
terrace outlets, check dams, desilting basins, dikes, ponds not required to comply with the<br />
provisions <strong>of</strong> the Dam Safety Act, ditches, strip cropping, lister furrowing, contour cultivating,<br />
contour furrowing, l<strong>and</strong> drainage, <strong>and</strong> l<strong>and</strong> irrigation;<br />
10. Disturbed l<strong>and</strong> areas <strong>of</strong> less than 10,000 square feet in size; however, the governing body <strong>of</strong> the<br />
local program authority may reduce this exception to a smaller area <strong>of</strong> disturbed l<strong>and</strong> or qualify<br />
the conditions under which this exception shall apply;<br />
11. Installation <strong>of</strong> fence, sign, telephone, electric, or other kinds <strong>of</strong> post or poles;<br />
Applicant Packet 2<br />
June 2001