Documentation: Notes, Photos, Drawings, and Map Control
Record what you saw, not what you think
An inspection that is not recorded cannot be defended. Field notes should be contemporaneous - written during or immediately after the walk - and should answer who, what, where, when, and what happens next. Capture the date, time, weather and recent rainfall (a half-inch storm the night before explains a lot of turbid discharge), the location tied to a station or plan sheet, the BMP observed, its condition, and the action taken. Keep observations separate from opinions: 'silt fence down 30 ft at Sta. 12+00' is a fact; 'the contractor does not care' is not.
Photos and video
Every photo needs a date stamp, a location, and a scale reference - a ruler, a boot, a clipboard, or a flagged stake. Shoot wide first for context, then close for detail, and note the direction you were facing. Video is useful for flowing discharge and pump noise, but narrate it: date, time, station, and what the camera is aimed at.
Site drawings and map management
Carry the current approved plan set and redline it as you go. Version control is a classic trap: citing a superseded sheet in a report undermines the whole file. Know which sheet governs - grading plan, SWPPP, utility plan - and record the sheet number and revision date. Keep a simple tracking map of BMP locations and inspection routes so a second inspector can repeat your walk.
Rule of thumb: if a note or photo cannot tell a stranger the date, the place, and the size of the problem, it is not evidence.