Fact Sheet
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania • Department of Environmental Protection
SEDIMENT AND EROSION CONTROL REQUIREMENTS FOR FARMING OPERATIONS
The processes used by farmers to produce the food and fiber needed by our nation involve disturbing the earth to varying
degrees depending on the type of tillage, planting techniques and cultivation. Under Chapter 102 - Erosion and Sediment
Control Regulations, persons involved with earth disturbance are required to implement Best Management Practices
(BMPs) as part of an Erosion and Sediment Control Plan (E&S Plan) to minimize erosion and soil loss. The
implementation of BMPs are especially important to farmers since their use protects the soil resource and keeps water
clean.
A Conservation Catalog for Pennsylvania, available
from local county conservation districts, features soilsaving BMPs for the conservation of Pennsylvania’s
natural resources. The BMPs include contour farming,
contour strip cropping, cover crops, grassed waterways,
terraces and diversions, as well as other common
farming practices.
The catalog is a cooperative effort of the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS), Pennsylvania State
University, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture,
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection,
Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts,
Pennsylvania Chesapeake Bay Education Office, Penn
State Cooperative Extension and the Chesapeake Bay
Program. It explains how each practice works, gives tips
on installing and managing practices and suggests how
the practices may be combined with others for soil and
water conservation systems.
Conservation districts were formed to help farmers plan,
develop and implement conservation plans that include
an E&S Plan component for their farms. Technical
assistance is also available from NRCS to assist in
developing the conservation plan.
The conservation plan includes BMPs to minimize the
potential for accelerated erosion and sediment from
agricultural plowing and tilling, and a schedule for
implementation of the BMPs. Under storm conditions
less than or equal to a 10-year frequency,
implementation and maintenance of BMPs ensure that
erosion rates do not exceed the soil loss tolerance,
commonly called “T”. Additional information about “T”
and technical details of BMPs can be found in
the Pennsylvania Soil and Water Conservation
Technical
Guide
published
by
Pennsylvania
NRCS,
available
on
their
website
at
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/efotg/ and then click
on Pennsylvania.
The conservation plan also includes computations to
show that stormwater runoff from the farm for a 10-year
frequency storm will not cause erosion or sedimentation
to waters of the Commonwealth. The conservation plan
should be available at the farm at all times to guide the
person(s) responsible for overall farm operations. If
major changes occur in tillage operations, the
conservation plan is updated.
Farmers also need a conservation plan consisting of a
plan map, a soils map and a narrative. The conservation
plan map shows the farm boundaries, field boundaries,
use of each field, acres in each field, permanent
conservation measures installed and/or planned and the
scale of the map. The soils map indicates the kinds and
boundaries of soils. The conservation plan narrative
includes names, units and amounts, and locations of
each of the conservation practices installed or to be
installed.
Implementation of the conservation plan
means that the various BMPs are to be installed in a
timely fashion.
Continual management and maintenance of BMPs are
essential for proper functioning. Structural practices are
designed for a specific storm frequency and may suffer
damage when larger storms occur. Structural practices
that require earth disturbance and stabilization should be
frequently checked to assure that vegetation and other
types of stabilization are adequate to protect the
structure and to assure that it will continue to properly
function.
Other BMPs, such as stripcropping, contour farming and
grass buffers, require attention annually to assure the
boundaries are maintained and adequate vegetation is
maintained. Practices that are performed annually, such
as cover crops, conservation tillage, crop residue
management and crop rotations, must be carried out
according to the conservation plan. These practices
require detailed attention to assure they are carried out
when and to the extent specified. Tillage and residue
management are two specific examples that require this
attention.
Prior to the installation of structural conservation
practices, detailed designs and construction drawings for
the practices are prepared. Details of interim erosion
and sediment control BMPs used during the installation
of structural measures are included in the construction
drawings.
For additional information and assistance, contact your County Conservation District (their phone number can be found in
your local telephone book) or the Department of Environmental Protection’s Regional Office, Soils and Waterways Section
listed below.
SOILS & WATERWAYS OFFICE
COUNTY RESPONSIBILITY
SOILS & WATERWAYS OFFICE
COUNTY RESPONSIBILITY
Northcentral Regional Office
208 W. Third St., Suite 101
Williamsport, PA 17701
717-327-3574
Bradford, Cameron, Centre,
Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia,
Lycoming, Montour,
Northumberland, Potter,
Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga and
Union
Southcentral Regional Office
909 Elmerton Ave.
Harrisburg, PA 17110
717-705-4700
Adams, Bedford, Berks, Blair,
Cumberland, Dauphin,
Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon,
Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon,
Mifflin, Perry and York
Northeast Regional Office
2 Public Square
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711-0790
717-826-2511
Carbon, Lackawanna,
Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe,
Northampton, Pike,
Schuylkill, Susquehanna,
Wayne and Wyoming
Southeast Regional Office
2 East Main Street
Norristown, PA 19401
484-250-5970
Bucks, Chester, Delaware,
Montgomery and Philadelphia
Northwest Regional Office
230 Chestnut St.
Meadville, PA 16335
814-332-6942
Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Elk,
Erie, Forest, Jefferson,
Lawrence, McKean, Mercer,
Venango and Warren
Southwest Regional Office
400 Waterfront Dr.
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-4745
412-442-4000
Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver,
Cambria, Fayette, Greene,
Indiana, Somerset,
Washington and
Westmoreland
DEP CENTRAL OFFICE
Bureau of Watershed Management
Division of Waterways, Wetlands and Erosion Control
P.O. Box 8775
Harrisburg, PA 17105-8775
717-787-6827
Fax 717-772-5986
For more information, visit DEP’s website at www.dep.state.pa.us, Keyword: “DEP Erosion Control.”
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Edward G. Rendell, Governor
An Equal Opportunity Employer
Department of Environmental Protection
Kathleen A. McGinty, Secretary
3930-FS-DEP2416 Rev. 5/2004