HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Industrial stormwater is
runoff Runoff, run-off or RUNOFF may refer to: * RUNOFF, the first computer text-formatting program * Runoff or run-off, another name for bleed, printing that lies beyond the edges to which a printed sheet is trimmed * Runoff or run-off, a stock marke ...
from precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, freezing rain, or hail) that lands on industrial sites (e.g. manufacturing facilities, mines, airports). This runoff is often polluted by materials that are handled or stored on the sites, and the facilities are subject to regulations to control the discharges.


Regulation in the United States

In the United States, facilities that discharge industrial stormwater to surface waters must obtain a permit under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), pursuant to the
Clean Water Act The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Its objective is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters; recognizing the responsibiliti ...
. Stormwater permit regulations issued by the
United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it ...
(EPA) govern the permit process. EPA published its "Phase I" stormwater rule, which covers industrial dischargers, in 1990. Most stormwater permits in the U.S. are issued by the agencies in 47 states that have been given authority by EPA. EPA regional offices issue the stormwater permits in the remaining parts of the country.


Multi-sector general permit

EPA published its ''Multi-Sector General Permit'' (MSGP) initially in 1995 to govern how industrial stormwater should be managed, and periodically it has updated and reissued the permit. The 2015 MSGP covers 29 industrial and commercial sectors:
  1. Timber Products Facilities (including
    wood preservation Wood easily degrades without sufficient preservation. Apart from structural wood preservation measures, there are a number of different chemical preservatives and processes (also known as "timber treatment", "lumber treatment" or "pressure treat ...
    )
  2. Paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distribu ...
    and Allied Products Manufacturing Facilities
  3. Chemical and Allied Products Manufacturing and Refining
  4. Asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term ...
    Paving and Roofing Materials and Manufacturers and Lubricant Manufacturers
  5. Glass Glass is a non- crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling (quenchin ...
    ,
    Clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay pa ...
    ,
    Cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel (aggregate) together. Cement mixe ...
    ,
    Concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...
    , and
    Gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywa ...
    Product Manufacturing Facilities
  6. Primary Metals Facilities
  7. Metal Mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic viab ...
    (Ore Mining and Dressing) Facilities
  8. Coal Mines Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron fro ...
    and Coal Mining-Related Facilities
  9. Oil and Gas Extraction Facilities
  10. Mineral Mining and Processing Facilities
  11. Hazardous Waste Hazardous waste is waste that has substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment. Hazardous waste is a type of dangerous goods. They usually have one or more of the following hazardous traits: ignitability, reactivity, cor ...
    Treatment, Storage, or Disposal Facilities
  12. Landfill A landfill site, also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump, or dumping ground, is a site for the disposal of waste materials. Landfill is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of the wast ...
    s and Land Application Sites
  13. Automobile Salvage Yards
  14. Scrap
    Recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The Energy recycling, recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability t ...
    and Waste Recycling Facilities
  15. Steam Electric Power Generating Facilities, including Coal Handling Areas
  16. Motor Freight Transportation Facilities, Passenger Transportation Facilities, Petroleum Bulk Oil Stations and Terminals, Rail Transportation Facilities, and United States Postal Service Transportation Facilities
  17. Water Transportation Facilities with Vehicle Maintenance Shops and/or Equipment Cleaning Operations
  18. Ship and Boat Building or Repair Yards
  19. Vehicle Maintenance Areas, Equipment Cleaning Areas, or Deicing Areas Located at Air Transportation Facilities
  20. Sewage treatment Sewage treatment (or domestic wastewater treatment, municipal wastewater treatment) is a type of wastewater treatment which aims to remove contaminants from sewage to produce an effluent that is suitable for discharge to the surrounding en ...
    plants
  21. Food and Kindred Products Facilities
  22. Textile Mills, Apparel, and Other Fabric Products Manufacturing Facilities
  23. Wood and Metal Furniture and Fixture Manufacturing Facilities
  24. Printing and Publishing Facilities
  25. Rubber, Miscellaneous Plastic Products, and Miscellaneous Manufacturing Industries
  26. Leather Tanning and Finishing Facilities
  27. Fabricated Metal Products Manufacturing Facilities
  28. Transportation Equipment, Industrial, or Commercial Machinery Manufacturing Facilities
  29. Electronic and Electrical Equipment and Components, Photographic, and Optical Goods Manufacturing Facilities
The permit is applicable to facilities in
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
,
New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
,
New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...
,
Idaho Idaho ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Monta ...
, the
District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle (Washington, D.C.), Logan Circle, Jefferson Memoria ...
and federal
insular area In the law of the United States, an insular area is a U.S.-associated jurisdiction that is not part of the 50 states or the District of Columbia. This includes fourteen U.S. territories administered under U.S. sovereignty, as well as three so ...
s (territories). The other states have developed their own state-specific industrial stormwater permits (e.g. California's Industrial General Permit). State-issued general permits often include the same requirements as EPA's permit, but some states have additional requirements. Idaho will take over stormwater permit authority from EPA in 2021.


Construction site stormwater

Under EPA regulations, stormwater runoff from construction sites is also classified as industrial stormwater, however these discharges are covered by a separate set of permits. EPA periodically publishes its ''Construction General Permit'' and the approved state agencies publish similar permits, to regulate discharges from construction sites of 1 acre (4,000 m2) or more. In addition to implementing the NPDES requirements, many states and local governments have enacted their own stormwater management laws and ordinances, and some have published stormwater treatment design manuals.Washington State Department of Ecology (August 2012). Olympia, WA
"Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington."
Publication No. 12-10-030.
Some of these state and local requirements have expanded coverage beyond the federal requirements. For example, the State of
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...
requires erosion and sediment controls on construction sites of 5,000 sq ft (460 m2) or more.State of Maryland. ''Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR).'
''Activities for Which Approved Erosion and Sediment Control Plans are Required.''
Sec. 26.17.01.05.


See also

*
Industrial wastewater treatment Industrial wastewater treatment describes the processes used for treating wastewater that is produced by industries as an undesirable by-product. After treatment, the treated industrial wastewater (or effluent) may be reused or released to a s ...
*
Stormwater Stormwater, also spelled storm water, is water that originates from precipitation ( storm), including heavy rain and meltwater from hail and snow. Stormwater can soak into the soil ( infiltrate) and become groundwater, be stored on depressed l ...
* United States regulation of point source water pollution


References

{{Reflist Environmental protection Stormwater management Water pollution in the United States