BMP inspections for construction sites in York County, SC

York County is one of the fastest-growing counties in South Carolina. The Fort Mill, Tega Cay, and Lake Wylie corridors have seen sustained residential and commercial development driven by Charlotte metro expansion south across the state line. Rock Hill is adding industrial and commercial construction along the I-77 corridor. Every construction site in York County disturbing one acre or more requires NPDES permit coverage under the SCDHEC Construction General Permit and the same inspection schedule that applies across the rest of the state.

What the permit requires

The SCDHEC Construction General Permit sets the same requirements statewide. Coverage requires an NOI to SCDHEC, a SWPPP prepared before ground disturbance begins, and a qualified inspector to conduct and document BMP inspections on the required schedule: at least once every seven calendar days during active land disturbance, and within 24 hours of a rainfall event of 0.5 inches or greater. The seven-day and rain event requirements operate independently.

Final stabilization, which ends the inspection requirement, means the entire disturbed area has 70% permanent vegetative cover or is covered with hard surface. On residential subdivision projects in Fort Mill and Tega Cay, where individual lots may reach final stabilization at different times as construction progresses through phases, the inspection requirement on the remaining active portions of the site continues until those areas also reach the stabilization standard.

Catawba River and discharge point documentation

York County drains largely into the Catawba River watershed. The Catawba is a regional water supply and an impaired waterway with established TMDL limits. Construction sites discharging to tributaries of the Catawba or directly to the river are held to the same CGP standards as any other permitted site, but discharge point documentation is particularly important given the receiving water sensitivity. SCDHEC's Catawba-Wateree region office conducts field inspections and enforcement for York County permitted sites.

Discharge point inspection is part of the required BMP inspection record: the inspection must document the condition at every point where stormwater leaves the site, including any turbidity or visible sediment in the discharge. On sites with multiple drainage areas and multiple discharge points, aerial documentation allows all discharge points to be photographed in a single flight pass.

Coverage for York County sites

Upstate Drone Services is based in Clemson, SC, approximately 90 miles from Rock Hill. We cover York County sites for clients with active NPDES-permitted construction who need aerial BMP inspection documentation or SWPPP subcontractor coverage. For SWPPP consultants managing multiple permitted sites across Upstate and Piedmont SC, York County sites can be included in a standing inspection schedule. Contact us to discuss coverage for active York County sites: BMP inspections and SWPPP inspection support.

FAA Part 107 certified. Insured. Based in Clemson, SC.