Storm Water Permit for Industrial Activities
What's New:
EPA's Multi-Sector General Permit for Storm Water Discharges from Industrial Activities (MSGP-2000) expired on October 30, 2005. Permit coverage for existing permittees is administratively extended after October 30, 2005, as provided in Part 9.2 of the MSGP-2000. EPA will propose a new MSGP for public comment and reissue the permit for the next five year period in the near future.
Part 9.2 of the MSGP-2000 states:
"...If this permit is not reissued or replaced prior to the expiration date, it will be administratively continued in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act and remain in force and effect.
Any permittee who was granted permit coverage prior to the expiration date will automatically remain covered by the continued permit until the earlier of :
1) reissuance or replacement of this permit, at which time you much comply with the Notice of Intent conditions of the new permt to maintain authorization to discharge;
2) your submittal of a Notice of Termination;
3) Issuance of an individual permit for your discharges; or
4) a formal permit decision by [EPA] not to reissue this general permit, at which time you must seek an alternative general permit or an individual permit."
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Who Should Apply for Coverage under the EPA Multi-Sector General Permit?
"Storm water discharges associated with industrial activity" were defined in the federal regulations published on November 16, 1990, and can be found in the Code of Federal Regulations at 40 CFR 122.26(b)(14)(i)-(xi). EPA identifies eleven categories of industry that are required to obtain permit coverage under the NPDES Storm Water Program.
An industrial facility requires permit coverage for its stormwater discharges under two conditions: 1) the runoff enters waters of the United States or enters a municipal separate storm sewer system before draining to waters of the U.S, and 2) the facility conducts an industrial activity defined in the regulations cited above.
Use the facility's primary Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code to determine if an industrial activity falls into one or more of the 11 categories: check OSHA's SIC Division Structure website or check the Table 1-1 of the Multi-Sector General Permit for more details.
EPA's current permit, the MSGP-2000, offers coverage for industrial stormwater discharges in all areas where EPA is the NPDES permitting authority. In the Pacific Northwest, the MSGP-2000 is effective for all areas of Idaho and Alaska; for all tribal lands in Oregon; and for all federal and tribal lands in Washington.
Facilities may be eligible to claim "no exposure," and be temporarily excluded from permitting, where industrial materials, material handling operations, and industrial processes are not exposed to storm water. To determine if your facility qualifies for this exclusion, see the "No Exposure" guidance document listed below.
Industrial Permitting Decision Tree
Confused? This 1-page decision flow chart graphically illustrates if a particular facility needs coverage under an NPDES permit for storm water discharges.
Multi-Sector General Permit for Storm Water
The general permit for storm water discharges associated with industrial activity (referred to as the "MSGP-2000") has expired. Links provided below are available for informational purposes only.
Because the corrections, etc are comprised of different Federal Register documents, this version of the MSGP-2000 consolidates all MSGP-2000 permit conditions, corrections etc, and contains only the requirements for the Pacific Northwest states. (102 pages) This consolidated MSGP-2000 file does not contain the associated fact sheet describing the basis of the permit.
The fact sheet contains further interpretation/details regarding the MSGP-2000 requirements
The Multi-Sector General Permit has been corrected twice since the initial publication on October 30, 2000. These corrections address various dates, typographical errors, and omissions from the October 30, 2000, publication. Corrections were published in the Federal Register on:
January 9, 2001 and
March 23, 2001.
The MSGP-2000 (as corrected) is effective in Alaska from April 16, 2001 through October 30, 2005. Note: Alaska's requirements specify that a facility's Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan be approved/sealed by a Professional Engineer registered in the State of Alaska, and submitted to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation for review and approval. See Part 13 of the MSGP.
Questions? Contact AK Dept. of Environmental Conservation at (907) 269-7692.
- "No Exposure" Exclusion for Industrial Facilities
Operators of all categories of industrial activity (except construction) may be eligible to claim "no exposure," and be temporarily excluded from permitting, where industrial materials, material handling operations, and industrial processes are not "exposed" to storm water. See the fact sheet on this exclusion.
The Guidance Manual for Conditional Exclusion from Storm Water Permitting Based on "No Exposure" of Industrial Activities to Storm Water can assist you in determining if your facility qualifies for this permitting exclusion.
Facility operators must submit a "No Exposure" certification form to EPA once every five years, in lieu of a "Notice of Intent" application form for Mulit-Sector General Permit coverage.
- NOTICE OF INTENT Application Form
The MSGP-2000 has expired, and no discharges can be authorized under the expired permit. A new Notice of Intent will be available when the MSGP is reissued in 2006. For more information about the the expiration of the MSGP, contact Region 10 or see EPA's national webpage.
SEND YOUR "NOTICE OF INTENT" FORM TO:
Storm Water Notice of Intent
(4203M)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20460
Note: This is also the current mailing address for submitting "Notices of Termination" & "No Exposure" certification forms.
As required by Parts 1.4 and 11 of the MSGP-2000, a "Notice of Termination" must be submitted to EPA if current owners of a facility wish to terminate their coverage under the MSGP. Send the Notice of Termination to the address indicated above
- EPA's Notice of Intent Processing Center
Contact the EPA Storm Water NOI (Notice of Intent) Center directly at (toll-free) 866-352-7755 if you have questions about Storm Water NOIs (or other related forms) You can also use this e-mail form to contact the Processing Center directly.
- Endangered Species/Critical Habitat
The MSGP-2000 does not allow industrial storm water discharges which may have unacceptable effects on endangered species and or critical habitat. (see Part 1.2.3.6 of the MSGP-2000). You are responsible for certifying that discharges from your facility are not likely to jeopardize listed endangered species or affect critical habitat. A step-by-step process outlined in Addendum A of the MSGP-2000 is designed to help you certify according to the available options. To check the latest endangered species listings for your area, contact the National Marine Fisheries Service or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
EPA has created a searchable database of threatened and endangered species Use this site to determine if listed species are located in your county that may have to be addressed as part of the NPDES permit application process.
- National Historic Properties
The MSGP-2000 does not allow industrial storm water discharges which may have unacceptable effects on properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as described in Part 1.2.3.7 of the permit. Consult Addendum B of the permit to substantiate the eligibility of your facility's discharges under this provision.
- Guidance Documents - Monitoring
Part 5 of the MSGP-2000 details the specific monitoring requirements for all facilities; Part 6 contains sector-specific requirements which may also apply. Below are the guidance documents and the Discharge Monitoring Report form referenced in the permit.
NPDES Storm Water Sampling Guidance (EPA 833-B-92-001, July 1992), (.pdf format, 178 pages, 10,246KB)
Monitoring and Reporting Requirements of the NPDES Multi-Sector General Permit - Guidance Manual, 1999
NPDES Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) form (.pdf, 195 KB, 2 pages)
Discharge Monitoring Report Instructions (.txt file)
Washington Department of Ecology has produced How To Do Stormwater Sampling - A Guide for Industrial Facilities for industrial facilities subject to permitting within the State of Washington.
sPACE
For more information, please contact Misha Vakoc, EPA, at (206) 553-6650