Which pollutant is primarily targeted by sediment controls in runoff?

Which pollutant is primarily targeted by sediment controls in runoff?

• A. Total dissolved solids.
• B. Nutrients.
• C. Bacteria.
• D. Total Suspended Solids.

Answer: (D)

Sediment controls are designed to keep soil particles from leaving a construction site by preventing erosion and by capturing particles carried by stormwater. The pollutant these controls target most directly is the sediment itself, measured as Total Suspended Solids, because these are the particles that remain suspended in runoff and can be trapped by barriers or settled out in basins. Total dissolved solids are minerals that are dissolved in water and aren’t removable by sediment controls, so they’re not the primary target. Nutrients and bacteria can be transported with runoff, but the primary focus of sediment controls is the particulate matter—Total Suspended Solids.

Sediment controls are designed to keep soil particles from leaving a construction site by preventing erosion and by capturing particles carried by stormwater. The pollutant these controls target most directly is the sediment itself, measured as Total Suspended Solids, because these are the particles that remain suspended in runoff and can be trapped by barriers or settled out in basins. Total dissolved solids are minerals that are dissolved in water and aren’t removable by sediment controls, so they’re not the primary target. Nutrients and bacteria can be transported with runoff, but the primary focus of sediment controls is the particulate matter—Total Suspended Solids.