Inappropriate use of soil binders on construction sites has drawn into question the environmental safety and potential risk associated with the use of soil binders for erosion control and sedimentation control measures. Currently, passive use (not mechanically fed or injected into stormwater) of these chemicals is not regulated by the California State Water Board. Further, there is limited acknowledgment or use of toxicity data in usage guidelines, specifically for anionic polyacrylamide (PAM). This presentation compares the aquatic toxicity, pervasiveness, and reactivity at ambient conditions of anionic PAM to a variety of alternatives including other polymeric emulsion blends, biopolymers, and plant-material-binders. Decision-making criteria to guide selection of the best treatment chemical and strategy will be presented. Audience participation and feedback will be a critical element of this presentation, because without input from industry on current practices that are not documented and available literature, the study team will take a conservative approach regarding guidelines for those practices and an identification of additional monitoring measures to assure safe usage.