Describe the concept of Best Management Practices (BMPs) in stormwater management and identify two valid examples.

• A. BMPs are regulatory reporting requirements with no direct effect on stormwater quality.
• B. BMPs focus only on increasing infiltration without reducing pollutants.
• C. BMPs reduce pollutants in stormwater through structural or operational practices; examples include silt fences and sediment basins.
• D. BMPs are designed to prevent any runoff by completely eliminating precipitation.

Answer: (C)

Best Management Practices in stormwater management are measures designed to reduce pollutants and manage runoff from a site. They can be structural devices or operational practices that treat, capture, or prevent pollutant loads before stormwater leaves the area. The key idea is pollution reduction, not simply increasing impermeability or eliminating rainfall.

Two common structural examples are silt fences, which intercept sediment-laden runoff during construction and prevent it from leaving the site, and sediment basins, which temporarily hold runoff and allow heavier sediments to settle out before water is discharged.

Other options miss the mark because they either imply no direct effect on water quality (regulatory reporting with no impact on pollutants), focus only on one aspect like infiltration without addressing pollutant reduction, or suggest completely stopping runoff, which isn’t feasible since precipitation will occur and BMPs aim to manage and treat it rather than eliminate it.