VA DEQ ESC Inspector Exam questions with
answers,
VESCP - AnswerVirginia Erosion and Sediment Control Program
- Administered by counties/cities (must), towns (may)
- MUST BE APPROVED
Minimum Standard 1 - AnswerStabilization
permanent or temporary soil stabilization shall be applied to denuded areas within seven days after
final grade is reached on any portion of the site; temporary soil stabilization shall be applied within
seven days to denuded areas that may not be at final grade but will remain dormant for longer than
14 days; permanent stabilization shall be applied to areas that are to be left dormant for more than
one year
Site NOT at Final Grade - Answer- stabilize in 14 days
- temporarily seed
- mulch
- permanently stabilize if dormant > 1 year
Site at Final Grade - Answer- stabilize in 7 days (recommended immediately)
- permanently or temporarily seed and mulch
- mulch/matting/straw
Minimum Standard 2 - AnswerStock Piles, Waste and Borrow Areas
,during construction, soil stock piles and borrow areas shall be stabilized or protected with sediment
trapping measures
mulch prevents erosion by protecting the surface from raindrop impact and silt fence intercepts and
detains from disturbed areas
Minimum Standard 3 - AnswerPermanent Vegetation
permanent vegetation cover shall be established on denuded areas not otherwise permanently
stabilized (permanent vegetation shall not be considered established until a ground cover is
achieved that is uniform, mature enough to survive, and will inhibit erosion *there is no %
associated with this*)
reduce erosion and decrease sediment yield from disturbed area
this is the standard used to verify that a site is ready for release of bonds or surety
Minimum Standard 4 - AnswerFirst-Step Measures
Sediment basins and traps, perimeter dikes, sediment barriers and other measures intended to trap
sediment shall be constructed as a first step in any land-disturbing activity and shall be made
functional before upslope land disturbance takes place
a certain amount of initial land disturbance may be required to provide access for equipment to
install the perimeter controls, but site clearing and grading should be kept to a minimum until the
perimeter controls are in place
intercepts and detains small amounts of sediment from disturbed areas during construction
operation to prevent sediment from leaving the site and decrease velocity of sheet flows and low-
to-moderate level channel flow
, Perimeter Controls - Answerassures that sediment does not leave the perimeter of the land-
disturbing area once site clearing, grading, and construction commences
Examples: silt fences, sediment traps, sediment basins, construction entrance, temporary
diversions, diversions
Minimum Standard 5 - AnswerEarthen Structure Stabilization
stabilization cmeasures cshall cbe capplied cto cearthen cstructures csuch cas cdams, cdikes, cand cdiversions
cimmediately cafter cinstallation
reduce cerosion cand csedimentation cand creduce cdamage cfrom csediment cand crunoff cto cdownstream
cor coff-site careas
Minimum cStandard c6 c- cAnswerTraps cand cBasins
sediment ctraps cand cbasins cshall cbe cdesigned cand cconstructed cbased cupon cthe ctotal cdrainage carea
c(not cjust cdisturbed carea) cto cbe cserved cby cthe ctrap cor cbasin
Sediment cTraps c- cAnswerminimum cstorage ccapacity cshall cbe c134 ccubic cyards cper cacre cof cdrainage
carea cand cshall conly ccontrol cdrainage careas cless cthan c3 cacres
*stone coutlet c= ctrap*
Sediment cBasins c- cAnswersurface crunoff cfrom cdisturbed careas cthat cis ccomprised cof cflow cfrom
cdrainage careas cgreater cthan cor cequal cto c3 cacres cshall cbe ccontrolled cby ca cbasin; cminimum cstorage
ccapacity cof ca csediment cbasin cshall cbe c134 ccubic cyards cper cacre cof cdrainage carea; cthe coutfall csystem
cshall, cat ca cminimum, cmaintain cthe cstructural cintegrity cof cthe cbasin cduring ca c25-year cstorm cof c24-
hour cduration; crunoff ccoefficients cused cin crunoff ccalculations cshall ccorrespond cto ca cbare cearth
ccondition cor cthose cconditions cexpected cto cexist cwhile cthe csediment cbasin cis cutilized.
Sediment cTrapping cDevises c- cAnswer1. cplace cnear cthe clowest cdrainage cpoints cof ca cproject
answers,
VESCP - AnswerVirginia Erosion and Sediment Control Program
- Administered by counties/cities (must), towns (may)
- MUST BE APPROVED
Minimum Standard 1 - AnswerStabilization
permanent or temporary soil stabilization shall be applied to denuded areas within seven days after
final grade is reached on any portion of the site; temporary soil stabilization shall be applied within
seven days to denuded areas that may not be at final grade but will remain dormant for longer than
14 days; permanent stabilization shall be applied to areas that are to be left dormant for more than
one year
Site NOT at Final Grade - Answer- stabilize in 14 days
- temporarily seed
- mulch
- permanently stabilize if dormant > 1 year
Site at Final Grade - Answer- stabilize in 7 days (recommended immediately)
- permanently or temporarily seed and mulch
- mulch/matting/straw
Minimum Standard 2 - AnswerStock Piles, Waste and Borrow Areas
,during construction, soil stock piles and borrow areas shall be stabilized or protected with sediment
trapping measures
mulch prevents erosion by protecting the surface from raindrop impact and silt fence intercepts and
detains from disturbed areas
Minimum Standard 3 - AnswerPermanent Vegetation
permanent vegetation cover shall be established on denuded areas not otherwise permanently
stabilized (permanent vegetation shall not be considered established until a ground cover is
achieved that is uniform, mature enough to survive, and will inhibit erosion *there is no %
associated with this*)
reduce erosion and decrease sediment yield from disturbed area
this is the standard used to verify that a site is ready for release of bonds or surety
Minimum Standard 4 - AnswerFirst-Step Measures
Sediment basins and traps, perimeter dikes, sediment barriers and other measures intended to trap
sediment shall be constructed as a first step in any land-disturbing activity and shall be made
functional before upslope land disturbance takes place
a certain amount of initial land disturbance may be required to provide access for equipment to
install the perimeter controls, but site clearing and grading should be kept to a minimum until the
perimeter controls are in place
intercepts and detains small amounts of sediment from disturbed areas during construction
operation to prevent sediment from leaving the site and decrease velocity of sheet flows and low-
to-moderate level channel flow
, Perimeter Controls - Answerassures that sediment does not leave the perimeter of the land-
disturbing area once site clearing, grading, and construction commences
Examples: silt fences, sediment traps, sediment basins, construction entrance, temporary
diversions, diversions
Minimum Standard 5 - AnswerEarthen Structure Stabilization
stabilization cmeasures cshall cbe capplied cto cearthen cstructures csuch cas cdams, cdikes, cand cdiversions
cimmediately cafter cinstallation
reduce cerosion cand csedimentation cand creduce cdamage cfrom csediment cand crunoff cto cdownstream
cor coff-site careas
Minimum cStandard c6 c- cAnswerTraps cand cBasins
sediment ctraps cand cbasins cshall cbe cdesigned cand cconstructed cbased cupon cthe ctotal cdrainage carea
c(not cjust cdisturbed carea) cto cbe cserved cby cthe ctrap cor cbasin
Sediment cTraps c- cAnswerminimum cstorage ccapacity cshall cbe c134 ccubic cyards cper cacre cof cdrainage
carea cand cshall conly ccontrol cdrainage careas cless cthan c3 cacres
*stone coutlet c= ctrap*
Sediment cBasins c- cAnswersurface crunoff cfrom cdisturbed careas cthat cis ccomprised cof cflow cfrom
cdrainage careas cgreater cthan cor cequal cto c3 cacres cshall cbe ccontrolled cby ca cbasin; cminimum cstorage
ccapacity cof ca csediment cbasin cshall cbe c134 ccubic cyards cper cacre cof cdrainage carea; cthe coutfall csystem
cshall, cat ca cminimum, cmaintain cthe cstructural cintegrity cof cthe cbasin cduring ca c25-year cstorm cof c24-
hour cduration; crunoff ccoefficients cused cin crunoff ccalculations cshall ccorrespond cto ca cbare cearth
ccondition cor cthose cconditions cexpected cto cexist cwhile cthe csediment cbasin cis cutilized.
Sediment cTrapping cDevises c- cAnswer1. cplace cnear cthe clowest cdrainage cpoints cof ca cproject
