Tips for De-Stressing State Stormwater Inspection – Part 2
During the Inspection:
- Assist the inspector by providing access to documentation. You have a legal obligation to provide the SWMP plan and supporting documents.
- Join the inspector for the site walk. Take notes of their comments, take photos of what they photograph.
- Answer questions directly, with no embellishment and no evasion. It’s OK to not have an answer.
- This is no time for confrontation. Remember that the inspector is just doing their job. After the written report is received you can try to make a case if needed.
- The inspection is a snapshot of your project and will be evaluated based on today’s conditions. While you may want to point to past compliance success, the issue at hand is not what you did last week or last month.
- If possible, make immediate corrections during the inspection to show a good faith effort to improve compliance.
- It is OK to ask questions, especially for clarification about their findings.
- It is OK to offer alternative solutions. You will know about your onsite resources and budget and can offer ideas that may address potential findings more readily than what is proposed by the inspector.
