BILL REQ. #: S-3562.2
State of Washington | 58th Legislature | 2004 Regular Session |
Read first time 01/20/2004. Referred to Committee on Natural Resources, Energy & Water.
AN ACT Relating to conditioning storm water general discharge permits; and adding a new section to chapter 90.48 RCW.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 A new section is added to chapter 90.48 RCW
to read as follows:
The department is authorized to issue storm water general permits
under the national pollution discharge elimination system of the
federal clean water act if such permits are required to comply with
federal standards or are necessary for the effective implementation of
this chapter. However, the permits are subject to the following
conditions:
(1) The implementation and maintenance of best management practices
for on-site pollution control is presumed to constitute compliance with
the standards and requirements of the permit, subject to the conditions
of subsection (2) of this section.
(2) For purposes of storm water discharges, meeting effluent
discharge limits must be demonstrated through implementation of best
management practices sufficient to equate to all known and reasonable
treatment. The department may monitor best management practices, for
as long as deemed necessary, to determine their effectiveness in
managing pollutants in storm water. Compliance with numeric effluent
discharge limitations on any waterbody may not be a condition of the
permit unless:
(a) Compliance is required in order to comply with federally
adopted effluent limits;
(b) Water quality impacts of a specific storm water discharge on
the receiving waterbody have been determined to have a sustained
adverse impact on water quality. This determination is to be through
the collection of substantial time weighted and statistically
significant numeric and/or biological data. This determination is
subject to appeal. During the data collection phase, the effluent
discharge limitation must be set equivalent to the current discharge;
or
(c) Numeric effluent limitations are derived from a finalized and
approved total daily maximum load study of the applicable waterbody.
(3)(a) Standard mixing zones must be allowed for all applicable
permittees. Additional application for coverage under a general permit
or further approval by the department under the terms of a permit may
not be a condition on the use of standard mixing zones. Standard
mixing zones shall be based on the following six criteria:
(i) The allowable size and location of a mixing zone and the
associated effluent limits shall be established in discharge permits,
general permits, or orders, as appropriate;
(ii) A discharger shall be required to fully apply all known,
available, and reasonable methods of prevention, control, and treatment
prior to being authorized a mixing zone;
(iii) Mixing zone determinations shall consider critical discharge
conditions;
(iv) No mixing zone shall be granted unless the supporting
information clearly indicates the mixing zone would not have a
reasonable potential to cause a loss of sensitive or important habitat,
substantially interfere with the existing or characteristic uses of the
water body, result in damage to the ecosystem, or adversely affect
public health as determined by the department;
(v) Water quality criteria shall not be violated outside of the
boundary of a mixing zone as a result of the discharge for which the
mixing zone was authorized; and
(vi) The size of a mixing zone and the concentrations of pollutants
present shall be minimized.
(b) When the department determines that a granted standard mixing
zone based on the six criteria in (a) of this subsection, will cause
significant degradation to the environment, the department must notify
the permittee and provide a compliance schedule and technical
assistance, as identified in subsection (5) of this section, to:
(i) Correct the problems identified with the mixing zone;
(ii) Conduct studies as necessary to support an alternative mixing
zone; or
(iii) Make physical and operational changes as necessary to meet
applicable discharge standards under the permit for a facility without
a mixing zone. The department shall adopt rules to implement this
subsection.
(4) The department must follow the requirements of chapter 34.05
RCW in establishing any provisions of a storm water manual or other
technical guidance document issued by the department or a federal
agency as a condition of a permitted discharge. Any state-issued
guidance document that is not required to meet chapter 34.05 RCW
requirements must be plainly marked "guidance only" on each page and is
not considered a mandatory component of the permit writer's manual.
(5) Storm water discharges under the permit are required to achieve
compliance with effluent discharge standards within the shortest time
economically and technically practicable, but in no case over one
hundred twenty months after the initial determination of adverse impact
as defined in subsection (2)(a) of this section, except: Where the
pollutant is of such a widespread nature in the environment and
receiving waters as to require a completed total maximum daily load or
other pollution control measure to address the water quality concerns.
In that case:
(a) The total maximum daily load waste or waste load allocation
constitutes the basis for effluent discharge standards that will
supersede the effluent discharge standard;
(b) Prior to and during the development of the total maximum daily
load, or other pollution control measures, the storm water permittee
must be given an interim effluent discharge standard equivalent to
current discharges;
(c) The permittee is required to take prudent actions to reduce the
discharge of these wide-area pollutants to the maximum extent
practicable;
(d) The permittee must provide an annual report on efforts taken to
reduce discharges to the responsible agency in conjunction with any
required discharge monitoring reports; and
(e) At the request of the permittee, the department must provide
the permittee with technical assistance to assist with the application
of best management practices or other methods that may allow the
permittee to come into compliance with the permit.
(6) Ambient instream monitoring is the responsibility of the state.
In consideration of the health and safety of the general permittee and
their employees, instream sampling is not a requirement of an
industrial or construction general permit. The department is
authorized to use fees collected in conjunction with storm water
permits to support necessary storm water-related ambient monitoring,
subject to budgetary approval by the legislature.
(7) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a permittee is only
liable for that portion of storm water-borne pollution or storm water
flow that originates from facilities owned or operated by the
permittee. This provision specifically includes combined discharges
from privately or municipally owned storm water conveyances.
(8) Upon application by the permittee who requires a mixing zone,
compliance schedule, or is subject to a total maximum daily load, the
department shall issue an individual permit in lieu of coverage under
a general permit. After application, and prior to the issuance of an
individual permit, the permittee will be covered under the general
permit. The department shall, if necessary, assign interim effluent
discharge standards equivalent to current discharges during the
development of the individual permit.