Construction activities which discharge stormwater to a surface water body and disturb five acres or more of land are required to obtain coverage under this general permit. Disturbed land includes all the land impacted by clearing, grading and excavation activities. Five acres includes those common plans of development or sale that will result in the total disturbance of five acres or more land area, even if there is less that [than] five acres disturbed at any one time.
Summary of Public Involvement Process: Notice of the proposed permit was published in the state register, in four newspapers of general circulation around the state on August 2, 2000, by mail to more than 2,400 permittees and interested parties, and posted on the Internet. Notice included an invitation to provide public comment on the proposed permit. Public workshops and hearings on the proposed permit were held at ecology's Spokane office on September 7, 2000, and at ecology's Bellevue office on September 12, 2000. One minor revision was made to the permit as a result of the comments received during the formal public comment period. Special Condition S.4. was modified to clarify the general prohibition of discharges to a sanitary sewer. A summary of the comments and ecology's response is available upon request at the address below.
Permit Coverage: Those construction sites that have coverage under the current permit and have submitted their application for coverage, as required under the permit, will continue to have coverage under the revised permit unless otherwise notified by ecology. New construction sites seeking permit coverage should request an application for coverage from ecology's headquarters office at the address below.
Anyone with knowledge as to why a construction site should or should not receive coverage under this general permit may also contact ecology's headquarters office at the address below.
Appeal Procedures: Pursuant to RCW 43.21.B.310 [43.21B.310] the terms and conditions of the permit may be appealed on or before November 17, 2000. An appeal must be filed with the Pollution Control Hearings Board, P.O. Box 40903, Olympia, WA 98504-0903. In addition, a copy of this appeal must be served on the Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600. The procedures and requirements for the appeal process are contained in RCW 43.21.B.310 [43.21B.310].
The terms and conditions of a general permit, as they apply to an individual discharger, are appealable within thirty days of the effective date of coverage of that discharger, in accordance with chapter 43.21B RCW. This appeal is limited to the general permit's applicability or nonapplicability to a specific discharger.
Apply for Coverage or Obtain Additional Information: Linda Matlock, Water Quality Program, Stormwater Unit, Washington State Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47696, Olympia, WA 98504-7696, phone (360) 407-6437, fax (360) 407-6426, e-mail LMAT461@ecy.wa.gov.
Ecology is an equal opportunity agency. If you have special accommodation needs or require this document in an alternative format, please contact Keith Johnson at (360) 407-6442 or TDD (only) (360) 407-6006.