What outcome signifies a need for improvement in BMPs?

When assessing the effectiveness of Best Management Practices (BMPs), a significant indicator of a need for improvement is if inspections reveal that the BMPs failed during heavy rain events. This outcome is critical because heavy rainfall can lead to substantial erosion and sedimentation if BMPs are not functioning as intended. A failure during such events suggests that the current measures are inadequate for handling the anticipated runoff, highlighting an urgent need to evaluate, reinforce, or redesign BMPs to ensure they can cope with the conditions that lead to erosion and sediment displacement.

In contrast, a decrease in sediment volume indicates that the existing BMPs are effectively controlling sediment, while stable vegetation growth demonstrates the successful establishment of vegetation, which can prevent erosion. Frequent erosion control workshops, while beneficial for education and training purposes, do not necessarily indicate the performance of BMPs in the field. Therefore, the identification of BMP failures during heavy rain underscores the critical need for improvements to address potential weaknesses in erosion and sediment control practices.