A person who conducts, or causes to be conducted, an activity that involves filling, displacing or exposing soil or other earthen materials shall take measures to prevent unreasonable erosion of soil or sediment beyond the project site or into a protected natural resource as defined in section 480?B. Erosion control measures must be in place before the activity begins. Measures must remain in place and functional until the site is permanently stabilized. Adequate and timely temporary and permanent stabilization measures must be taken and the site must be maintained to prevent unreasonable erosion and sedimentation. [PL 1997, c. 502, §1 (AMD).]

A person who owns property that is subject to erosion because of a human activity before July 1, 1997 involving filling, displacing or exposing soil or other earthen materials shall take measures in accordance with the dates established under this paragraph to prevent unreasonable erosion of soil or sediment into a protected natural resource as defined in section 480?B, subsection 8. Adequate and timely temporary and permanent stabilization measures must be taken and maintained on that site to prevent unreasonable erosion and sedimentation. This paragraph applies on and after July 1, 2005 to property that is located in the watershed of a body of water most at risk as identified in the department’s storm water rules adopted pursuant to section 420?D and that is subject to erosion of soil or sediment into a protected natural resource as defined in section 480?B, subsection 8. This paragraph applies on and after July 1, 2010 to other property that is subject to erosion of soil or sediment into a protected natural resource as defined in section 480?B, subsection 8. [PL 1997, c. 748, §1 (NEW).]

This section applies to a project or any portion of a project located within an organized area of this State. This section does not apply to agricultural fields. Forest management activities, including associated road construction or maintenance, conducted in accordance with applicable standards of the Maine Land Use Planning Commission, are deemed to comply with this section. This section may not be construed to limit a municipality‘s authority under home rule to adopt ordinances containing stricter standards than those contained in this section. [PL 1995, c. 704, Pt. B, §2 (NEW); PL 1995, c. 704, Pt. C, §2 (AFF); PL 2011, c. 682, §38 (REV).]