IndustrialPhaseI

The State Water Board adopted a statewide General Storm Water Permit for Industrial Activities. The permit is reissued every 5 years. The last reissuance was in 1997 when the State Water Board adopted Order No. 97-03-DWQ. Ten categories of industrial activity are required to obtain permit coverage.

Industrial facilities obtain permit coverage based on whether or not their Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code is included in those categories. A general description of the categories are:
1. Facilities subject to storm water effluent limitations guidelines, new source performance standards, or toxic pollutant effluent standards (40 CFR Subchapter N);
2. Manufacturing facilities;
3. Mining/oil and gas facilities;
4. Hazardous waste treatment, storage, or disposal facilities;
5. Landfills, land application sites, and open dumps that receive industrial waste;
6. Recycling facilities such as metal scrap yards, battery reclaimers, salvage yards, automobile yards;
7. Steam electric generating facilities;
8. Transportation facilities that conduct any type of vehicle maintenance such as fueling, cleaning, repairing, etc.;
9. Sewage treatment plants;
10. Certain facilities (often referred to as "light industry") where industrial materials, equipment, or activities are exposed to storm water.

All permit holders are required to implement BMPs to prevent the discharge of polluted storm water off site. The site specific plan to implement BMPs is called the SWPPP. Permit holders are required to sample their storm water runoff during a minimum of two storm events each rainy season. Samples are analyzed for pH, Total Suspended Solids, Specific Conductance, and Oil &Grease or Total Organic Compounds. Table D of the permit lists other parameters that must be tested for based on the SIC code of the facility. Visual Observations are required throughout the rainy season. The monitoring and sampling results are recorded on an annual report, which is submitted to our office on July 1 of each year.

No Exposure Certification

This exemption is designed primarily for those light industry facilities where all industrial activities are conducted inside buildings and where all materials stored and handled are not exposed to storm water.
To qualify for this exemption, facility operators must certify that their facilities meet all of the following conditions:
(1) All prohibited non-storm water discharges have been eliminated or otherwise permitted.
(2) All authorized non-storm water discharges have been identified and addressed in the SWPPP.
(3) All areas of past exposure have been inspected and cleaned, as appropriate.
(4) All significant materials related to industrial activity (including waste materials) are not exposed to storm water or authorized non-storm water discharges.
(5) All industrial activities and industrial equipment are not exposed to storm water or authorized non-storm water discharges.
(6) There is no exposure of storm water to significant materials associated with industrial activity through other direct or indirect pathways such as from industrial activities that generate dust and particulates.
(7) There is periodic re-evaluation of the facility to ensure conditions (1), (2), (4), (5), and (6) above are continuously met. At a minimum, re-evaluation shall be conducted once a year.

Sampling and Analysis Reduction

A facility operator may reduce the number of sampling events required to be sampled for the remaining term of the General Permit if the facility operator provides certification that the following conditions have been met:
1. The facility operator has collected and analyzed samples from a minimum of six storm events from all required drainage areas;
2. All prohibited non-storm water discharges have been eliminated or otherwise permitted;
3. The facility operator demonstrates compliance with the terms and conditions of the General Permit for the previous two years (i.e., completed Annual Reports, performed visual observations, implemented appropriate BMPs, etc.);
4. The facility operator demonstrates that the facility's storm water discharges and authorized non-storm water discharges do not contain significant quantities of pollutants; and
5. Conditions (2), (3), and (4) above are expected to remain in effect for a minimum of one year after filing the certification.

Unless otherwise instructed by the Regional Water Board, facility operators shall collect and analyze samples from two additional storm events during the remaining term of the General Permit.

Group Monitoring

Permit holders with the same SIC code, have the option of forming a Group Monitoring Plan (GMP). Each GMP member is required to sample two storm events in a year, for one of the five years of the permit term.

The GMP is developed by a group leader and approved by the Regional Board if all the participants are within the same region, or the State Board if the participants are in more than one region. The State or Regional Board may disapprove a facility's participation in a GMP or require additional monitoring.

The group leader must:
1. Develop , implement, and revise the GMP
2. Develop and submit the annual group evaluation report by August 1 of each year
3. Recommend appropriate BMPs to reduce or prevent pollutants
4. Assist each participant in completing their Annual Comprehensive Site Compliance Evaluation and Annual Report
5. Conduct a minimum of two inspections of each participant's facility during the permit term.
6. Submit a GMP to the Regional/State Board.
7. Revise the GMP as instructed by the Regional/State Board.
8. Provide the Regional/ State Board with quarterly updates of new or deleted participants.

The GMP shall:
1. Identify the participants by name, location, and Waste Discharge Identification Number.
2. Include a description of the industrial activities of the participants and the BMPs that will be used.
3. Include a list of potential pollutants and the BMPs used.
4. Provide a 5 year sampling schedule.
5. Identify the pollutants associated with the industry that will be sampled for.

All participants that have not been selected to sample in a particular wet season are required to comply with all other monitoring and reporting requirements.

All GMP participants are required to develop and implement a site specific SWPPP.