Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

Emergency Burn Ban In Effect 10/26/24 - An emergency burn ban is now in effect for all Connecticut State Parks, Forests, and Wildlife Management areas, prohibiting the use of all outdoor grills, firepits, and campfires, and the kindling and use of flame outdoors. DEEP and local agencies are working to contain several active fires across the state. Please avoid all affected State Parks and Forests, as well as the blue-blazed Mattabesett Trail. The Enduro Trail in Voluntown and portions of North Stonington within the Pachaug State Forest are closed at this time. Rocky Neck State Park is also closed until further notice due to a brush fire. Please note that today's forest fire danger report remains at a 'very high' or 'extreme' level. More information about the current fire danger, burn ban and recommended safety measures can be found here

Connecticut Guidelines for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control

--Updated Guidance Now Published--

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Connecticut Council on Soil and Water Conservation have collaborated to prepare the revised for the Connecticut Guidelines for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control (below) and the Connecticut Stormwater Quality Manual. The effective date for these guidance documents is March 30, 2024. The full adoption of these documents will be phased, please see the details provided in Chapter 1. During the phased in adoption of the revised manual the 2002 version will also remain available below. As of September 30, 2024 the 2002 version will no longer be hosted online.

The revisions to these documents include:

  • Reformatting the Stormwater Quality Manual to focus on function
  • Updating the 90th percentile water quality storm and design storms with more recent data.
  • Including the Environmental Protection Agency’s performance curves to aide in evaluating the appropriate selection and sizing of best management practices for site-specific conditions.
  • Incorporating updated Low Impact Development guidance into the body of the document to be consistent with permit requirements
  • Adding workflow processes and checklists to streamline site design to meet a variety of stormwater quality programs and promote site design to preserve on site assets.
  • Updating technical design details.
  • Updates to provide better consistency between the two guidance documents.

Updated Connecticut Guidelines for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control

Download the Full Connecticut Guidelines for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control 

Or choose one or more of the specifics sections to download separately:

2002 Connecticut Guidelines for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control

The 2002 Connecticut Guidelines for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control (DEP Bulletin 34) are intended to provide information to government agencies and the public on soil erosion and sediment control. These guidelines fulfill the requirements of Connecticut’s Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Act (§§ 22a-325 through 22a-329 of the Connecticut General Statutes). Additionally, they are required as the technical standard to be complied with in many municipal planning and zoning regulations and in many permits issued by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection associated with land development. Availability: The Guidelines are no longer available for purchase in hard copy.  A printed copy of the Guidelines may be available at a local library. An electronic version of the Guidelines is available on-line, see links below.   View the Guidelines for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control 

Introduction and Table of Contents  (PDF) Chapters 1 through 5  (PDF) Appendices A through K   (PDF) Appendices L through M  (PDF)

Low Impact Development Appendix

Notice of Printing Error:  Several copies of the 2002 Erosion and Sediment Control Guidelines have printing errors where some pages were not printed resulting in two consecutive blank pages facing each other.  Due to the nature of the printing error, four (4) sets of blank pages would be found alternating with printed pages. Please page through your books.

Errata sheet for Erosion and Sediment Control Guidelines

Content Last Updated July 3, 2024