The Washington state department of ecology (ecology) is reissuing the Industrial Stormwater National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and state waste discharge general permit December 2, 2024. The permit becomes effective January 1, 2025, and expires December 31, 2029.

Purpose of the Permit: Ecology's water quality general permits address various legal requirements and responsibilities and regulate the discharge of pollutants to protect water quality in Washington state. The industrial stormwater general permit authorizes the discharge of stormwater and conditionally approved nonstormwater associated with industrial activity. The permit is a combined NPDES and state waste discharge permit that limits the discharge of pollutants to surface waters under the authority of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, Title 33 U.S.C. Section 1251, and limits the discharge of pollutants to surface and groundwater under the authority of the State Water Pollution Control Act, chapter 90.48 RCW.

Public Notice Process and Comments: Ecology accepted public comments on the draft permit from May 15, 2024, through July 15, 2024. Ecology held virtual informational public workshops and hearings during this time via online statewide webinars using Zoom on June 20 and 24, 2024. Ecology received written public comments and emails. The comments and ecology's responses are included as Appendix C of the fact sheet.

Copies of the Permit: The final permit, fact sheet, and ecology's response to comments are available online at https://ecology.wa.gov/IndustrialStormwaterPermit. You may request hard copies from the water quality program by contacting Jackie Lince at jackie.lince@ecy.wa.gov or 360-407-6600.

Applying for Coverage Under the Permit: Facilities that have already applied for coverage and are covered under the existing permit will be covered under the new permit. New or unpermitted facilities may obtain coverage under the permit by submitting a complete permit application to ecology and satisfying all applicable public notice and State Environmental Policy Act requirements in WAC 173-226-200. The application is available online at https://secureaccess.wa.gov.

Ecology Contact: Shannon McClellan, Department of Ecology, WQ Program, P.O. Box 47696, Olympia, WA 98504-7696, 360-280-8370, Shannon.McClellan@ecy.wa.gov.

Assistance for Persons with Disabilities: To request an ADA accommodation, contact ecology by phone at 360-407-6600 or email Shannon.McClellan@ecy.wa.gov, or visit https://ecology.wa.gov/accessibility. For relay service or TTY call 711 or 877-833-6341.

Translation: To request this document in another language, please contact Shannon McClellan at Shannon.McClellan@ecy.wa.gov or call reception at 360-407-6600 and ask for an interpreter.

Your Right to Appeal: You have a right to appeal the final general permit and general permit coverage for a specific facility to the pollution control hearings board (PCHB). The appeal process is governed by chapter 43.21B RCW and chapter 371-08 WAC.

Appeals of the general permit issuance must be filed within 30 days of issuance of the general permit. See the Appeal of the General PermitFocus Sheet for more information at https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/publications/documents/1710009.pdf.

Appeals of general permit coverage for a specific facility must be filed within 30 days of the effective date of coverage. See the Appeal of a General Permit Coverage Focus Sheet for more information at https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/publications/documents/1710007.pdf.