The California Water Boards' Annual Performance Report - Fiscal Year 2009-10

REGULATE: NPDES STORMWATER

MEASUREMENTS

WHAT THE MEASURE IS SHOWING

Although only 4% of industrial stormwater facilities were inspected during fiscal year 2009-10, the program inspected 409 facilities statewide. Industrial stormwater facilities may not change significantly over time and the frequency of inspections necessary to verify compliance may be lower than the frequency necessary for construction stormwater facilities.

WHY THIS MEASURE IS IMPORTANT

Inspections are a primary tool used in the NPDES Stormwater Industrial program to assess compliance with NPDES requirements. The General Industrial Permit requires that an annual report be submitted each July 1. In addition to inspections, this report is used to verify compliance with requirements. However, the number of inspections and the number of facilities inspected are the only measures reported at this point related to compliance assurance activities.

TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS

• Data Source: SMARTS. Period July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010. Extracted on August 9, 2010.
• Unit of Measure: Number of facilities inspected at least once during FY 09-10.
• • Data Definitions: Inspections conducted by Regional Water Board staff, State Water Board staff, or contractors paid by US EPA
• References: More information on the Water Boards’ NPDES program is available at: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/npdes/
• Public reports and data are available at: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/ciwqs/publicreports.shtml
• Enforcement and compliance assurance information is available at: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/enforcement/ 

GLOSSARY

General Permit

An NPDES permit issued under 40 CFR 122.28 that authorizes a category of discharges within a geographical area. A general permit is not specifically tailored for an individual discharger.

Industrial Stormwater Program

Discharges associated with 10 broad categories of industrial activities are regulated under the Industrial Storm Water General Permit Order 97-03-DWQ (General Industrial Permit), which is an NPDES permit.

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)

The NPDES permit program (Section 402 of the Clean Water Act ) controls water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants into waters of the United States. Point sources are discrete conveyances such as pipes or man-made ditches. Individual homes that are connected to a municipal system, use a septic system, or do not have a surface discharge do not need an NPDES permit; however, industrial, municipal, and other facilities must obtain permits if their discharges go directly to surface waters.  US EPA has approved the Water Board’s program to issue NPDES permits.

( Updated 9/20/11 )