Stormwater Inspection Services

This page covers post-construction stormwater inspections. If you are on an active construction site and need SWPPP compliance inspections during the build, visit our SWPPP inspections page. The credentials, the checklist, and the regulatory frame are different for each phase, and pairing the right inspection to the right phase is the first step toward staying in compliance.

Post-Construction vs Construction-Phase Inspections

A construction-phase stormwater inspection happens while dirt is moving. The site operates under a SWPPP and the inspector works against the site’s erosion and sediment control plan. Once the site stabilizes and the notice of termination closes the SWPPP, the construction-phase inspection regime ends.

What starts at that point is the post-construction inspection regime. The site’s permanent BMPs, its detention and retention ponds, its hydrodynamic separators, its biofilters, its permeable pavement, are now in operation for the life of the property. Every one of them needs inspection and documented maintenance, and the city stormwater department can audit that paper trail for as long as the structures exist.

Red River’s inspection staff is credentialed for both phases. For post-construction work specifically, the CESSWI credential is what auditors and municipal stormwater departments look for on an inspection report.

Structural Control Inspection Program

If you received a notice referencing a structural control, a permanent BMP, a water quality control, or a post-construction stormwater facility, the property owner or HOA is required to inspect the structures, maintain them, and keep records the city can audit.

Red River handles the inspection and the documentation. If you received a notice and you are not sure what it means or what structures on your property the city is asking about, forward the notice and we will translate it before we walk the site.

Detention and Water Quality Pond Inspections

Every detention and water quality pond on a compliance-tracked site is subject to annual inspection at minimum. Our pond inspection covers the outlet and riser, the embankment and spillway, the basin floor, the shoreline on retention ponds, the forebay, the vegetation, and any water quality components. We pull sediment depth readings where relevant, photograph the condition of every major component, and grade each finding by urgency.

Full detail on our pond service offering lives on Detention and Retention Pond Services. Inspections alone, without maintenance, are available as stand-alone work or as part of a recurring service contract.

Hydrodynamic Separator Inspections

Stormceptors, Vortechs, Contech Jellyfish units, and other hydrodynamic separators all need periodic inspection to evaluate sediment accumulation, structural condition, and clean-out timing. Our inspectors pull the manhole lids, measure sump depth, evaluate internal components where access permits, and recommend a vactoring schedule matched to the actual accumulation rate.

Full detail on our separator service offering lives on Hydrodynamic Separator Systems.

Biofiltration and Filtration Inspections

Biofilters and Filtration basins are alive. They need inspection for vegetation health, media condition, underdrain function, mulch cover, sediment accumulation, and the structural condition of inlets, outlets, and overflow. Our inspectors evaluate each component and recommend media replacement, vegetation rehabilitation, or maintenance work when the system has drifted from design performance. Drawdown testing is available as required by municipality.

Permeable Pavement Inspections

Permeable pavement is a treatment BMP only as long as the pore structure stays open. Sediment accumulation from adjacent landscaping, seasonal tracking, and wheel loading can clog the surface and drop infiltration rates below design. Our inspectors test infiltration, examine the pavement surface, evaluate the underlying base and subgrade condition where visible, and recommend vacuum cleaning or surface rehabilitation when infiltration falls.

Who Needs Stormwater Inspections

• Commercial property owners with any permanent BMP on site
• HOAs responsible for community detention or retention ponds
• Multi-tenant retail and office sites with shared maintenance agreements
• Industrial facilities under a Multi-Sector General Permit
• Property managers assigned BMP oversight on their portfolio
• New property owners who inherited BMP structures without clear documentation

If you are not sure whether your site falls under an inspection obligation, the fastest way to find out is to pull the recorded plat and the original drainage report or stormwater management plan. If either names a permanent BMP, a water quality control, or a structural control, the obligation lives somewhere on the property and the city can audit it.

What Red River Delivers

Every Red River inspection includes:

• A site walk covering every permanent stormwater BMP on the property
• Sediment depth readings on ponds, separators, and bioretention cells
• Photographic documentation of each major component
• A written inspection report graded by urgency and mapped to each structure
• Regulatory context tying findings to a Structural Control Inspection Program or the equivalent local program
• Recommended repairs and maintenance, with scope we can quote if you need the work

Our CESSWI-credentialed inspectors and licensed Professional Engineer produce reports cities accept without back-and-forth. For properties with multiple BMPs, we can scope a single annual inspection covering every structure, or we can build a quarterly cadence into a full service contract that pairs inspection with maintenance.

Service Area

Red River Stormwater provides stormwater inspection services across Texas, including Austin, San Antonio, DFW and Houston.

Build compliant. Build with confidence. Contact Red River Storm Water for post-construction stormwater inspection services.

Frequently Asked Questions