Tonawanda, NY Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

Chapter 73's stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) requirements, adopted November 19, 2007, set the town's erosion and sediment control standards for construction activity outside the Village of Kenmore. Under § 73-8B(1)(d), a SWPPP's construction phasing plan must follow the New York Standards and Specifications for Erosion and Sediment Control, known as the Erosion Control Manual or 'Blue Book,' and cannot disturb more than five acres at any one time unless a broader disturbance is specifically approved in the plan. Every SWPPP must also describe the soil on site, show temporary and permanent measures for soil stabilization, runoff control and sediment control at each stage of the project, specify the location, size, materials and installation details of every erosion and sediment control practice, and set a maintenance schedule to keep those practices working.

Projects that disturb five or more acres, or between one and five acres outside single-family and agricultural work, trigger additional postconstruction water quantity and quality controls under § 73-8B(2). The Stormwater Management Officer can require inspections, with 48 hours' notice, at the start of construction, after installing erosion and sediment controls, and after site clearing and rough or final grading, and can halt further work except stabilization until any erosion-control violation found during those inspections is corrected. Failing to control erosion under an approved plan can bring a stop-work order, a notice of violation appealable within 15 days, and a requirement to restore disturbed land to its original condition.