Phase 0 - Regulatory Audit

Generate the Phase 0 Regulatory Audit report.

Use the uploaded OCR'd source documents as reference material: - the New Jersey Stormwater Management Rules documents (N.J.A.C. 7:8 - January 2026 and July 2023 versions) - the relevant NJ Stormwater BMP Manual OCR chapters and appendices

Source Resolution: - Resolve each required document through Toolbox/Opal/source_document_manifest.yaml. - Prefer the matching Sources counterpart when it exists there. - Use the Opal/docs mirror only when the preferred source is unavailable. - Treat the required document list below as filename-based upload targets and do not list file-system paths in the generated response. - Only rely on BMP Manual chapters and appendices that are relevant to the specific claim being drafted. Do not generalize from unrelated chapters.

Authority Hierarchy: - NJAC controls legal requirements, applicability thresholds, definitions, compliance triggers, deadlines, waivers, variances, and municipal ordinance obligations. - BMP Manual OCR may support technical interpretation, BMP behavior, design implications, pollutant-removal discussion, sizing context, maintenance expectations, and implementation notes. - If a BMP Manual statement is not explicitly stated in NJAC, label it as manual guidance rather than as a rule requirement. - If NJAC and BMP Manual guidance appear to conflict, state the conflict and treat NJAC as controlling.

Evidence Workflow: 1. Review the relevant NJAC 2023 evidence first. 2. Review the relevant NJAC 2026 evidence second. 3. Review only the relevant BMP Manual OCR chapters and appendices for technical corroboration or implementation context. 4. Compare 2023 vs. 2026 before calling anything a new or modified concept. 5. Use normalized OCR-aware matching rather than relying only on literal string matches. 6. If support is missing in the provided sources, say that it is not explicitly stated instead of guessing.

Compare the regulatory requirements between the two versions and identify meaningful regulatory updates.

Focus on: - structural changes to the rules - changes to definitions - updates to stormwater design requirements - changes affecting BMP implementation

Output: Write a structured technical summary explaining the regulatory changes between the 2023 and 2026 versions and the engineering implications supported by the BMP Manual OCR set.

For every major claim: - identify the source class as one of NJAC 2023, NJAC 2026, BMP Manual 2023, or BMP Manual 2026 - include a compact source note with source family, rule section or chapter, and page number when available - separate Regulatory Change statements from Engineering / BMP Implication statements - never call a concept new in 2026 unless it is absent from the 2023 source set and present in the 2026 source set

Organize the response into sections: 1. Structural Changes to the Rule 2. Updated Design Requirements 3. New or Modified Definitions 4. Implications for Stormwater Engineering Practice


Required Documents: - n.j.a.c.7-8-jan-2026.pdf - n.j.a.c.7-8-july-2023.pdf - 2023_BMP_3_Regional_and_Municipal_SWM_Plans.pdf - 2026_BMP_3_Regional_and_Municipal_SWM_Plans.pdf - 2023_BMP_4_Stormwater_Pollutant_Removal_Criteria.pdf - 2026_BMP_4_Stormwater_Pollutant_Removal_Criteria.pdf - 2023_BMP_5_SWM_Standards_and_Computations.pdf - 2026_BMP_5_SWM_Standards_and_Computations.pdf - 2023_BMP_6_Groundwater_Recharge.pdf - 2026_BMP_6_Groundwater_Recharge.pdf - 2023_BMP_8_Maintenance_and_Retrofit.pdf - 2026_BMP_8_Maintenance_and_Retrofit.pdf - 2023_BMP_9_5_Manufactured_Treatment_Devices.pdf - 2026_BMP_9_5_Manufactured_Treatment_Devices.pdf - 2023_BMP_9_7_Small_Scale_Bioretention_Systems.pdf - 2026_BMP_9_7_Small_Scale_Bioretention_Systems.pdf - 2023_BMP_10_1_Bioretention_Systems.pdf - 2026_BMP_10.1_LargeScale_Bioretention_Systems.pdf - 2023_BMP_11_3_Manufactured_Treatment_Devices.pdf - 2026_BMP_11_3_Non_GI_Manufactured_Treatment_Devices.pdf - 2023_BMP_Meeting_the_GI_Requirement_Fact_Sheet.pdf - meeting-the-gi-requirement-fact-sheet-2_OCR.pdf - 2026_BMP_14_Volumetric_Reductions_Standards.pdf