Polluted storm water from construction sites is conveyed to storm sewer systems that ultimately empty into rivers and streams. Sediment from construction sites has been shown to exceed that from agricultural lands by 10 to 20 times, and by 1,000 to 2,000 times from forested land. Although sediment is the primary concern, other contaminants include nutrients, pesticides, oils and grease, concrete truck washout and construction chemicals and debris. Management practices can help prevent erosion and keep sediment runoff to a minimum.

Management practices can be divided into those that prevent erosion from occurring, and those that keep sediment on site after erosion has occurred.  Ohio EPA has developed standards and specifications for multiple erosion and sediment control practices, which cab be found in the Rainwater and Development Manual.