The current permit was issued on October 4, 2000, and will not expire until November 18, 2005. Ecology issued this permit without any significant revisions but with the stated intent of rewriting and reissuing before the expiration date. An early reissue is necessary to incorporate new provisions that address the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) phase 2 stormwater regulations. Ecology also believes that the rewrite will provide greater clarity on permit requirements and will address issues that were raised during the previous reissue process.
The Industrial Stormwater General Permit provides coverage for discharges of stormwater from industrial facilities. This is a statewide permit providing coverage for a large number of industrial facilities that discharge stormwater to waters of the state. This permit specifically seeks to regulate discharges of stormwater to surface water bodies. In addition to industrial categories listed in the permit, permit coverage can be required of any facility discharging stormwater that ecology determines to be a significant contributor of pollutants to waters of the state. This is typically applied on a case-by-case basis but can also be applied to an industrial sector when reissuing the permit.
The EPA phase 2 regulations include a provision for "no exposure certification." This provision allows qualifying industrial facilities to submit a certificate of no exposure instead of permit coverage. Ecology expects to determine if this permit exemption will be made available in Washington state and if so, how it will be implemented. Those light industry facilities that are not required to apply for coverage under the current permit because they have no exposure would be required to apply for a no exposure certificate.
Industrial facilities that were owned or operated by municipalities with a population of less than 100,000 were previously exempted from the requirement to obtain a stormwater discharge permit. That exemption ends under the EPA phase 2 regulations and these facilities are required to apply for a stormwater permit by March 2003. The revised permit will establish permitting requirements for these facilities in Washington state.
Ecology expects to complete the permit revisions and release
the final draft permit for public comment by September 2001.
Because the existing permit was appealed, the schedule may be
adjusted based on an outcome of the appeal. The following table
provides an outline of the proposed schedule.
| Industrial Stormwater General Permit | |
| Release Final Draft of Industrial General Permit for Formal Public Comment | September 2001 |
| Conduct Public Workshops/Hearings on Final Draft Industrial General Permit | October 2001 |
| Reissue Industrial Stormwater General Permit (Exp. Date November 2006) | November 2001 |
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/stormwater/ind_issue.html
Questions should be directed to Keith Johnson at (360) 407-6442, by e-mail at KJOH461@ecy.wa.gov, or may be mailed to Department of Ecology, Attn: Keith Johnson, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600.