2323 Renewal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System general permit for discharges of stormwater associated with industrial activities (PAG-03)
Renewed National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System General Permit for Discharges of Stormwater Associated with Industrial Activities (PAG-03) [40 Pa.B. 6985]
[Saturday, December 4, 2010]Under The Clean Streams Law (35 P. S. §§ 691.1—691.1001) and sections 1905-A, 1917-A and 1920-A of The Administrative Code of 1929 (71 P. S. §§ 510-5, 510-17 and 510-20), the Department of Environmental Protection (Department) by this notice informs the public of the availability of the renewed NPDES General Permit for Discharges of Stormwater Associated with Industrial Activities (PAG-03).
The draft permit was published for public comment at 40 Pa.B. 6041 (October 16, 2010). The Department did not receive any public comments on the draft renewed permit. The renewed General Permit will become effective at 12 a.m. on December 4, 2010, unless rescinded by the Department at an earlier date. This General Permit will continue to be not applicable for stormwater discharges to ''high quality'' and ''exceptional value'' waters designated under 25 Pa. Code Chapter 93 (relating to water quality standards). An individual permit is required for these discharges.
The Department will continue to use Standard Industrial Classification Codes, per the United States Environmental Protection Agency's 2008 final Multi-Sector General Permit, to define the categories of industrial activities covered by this permit.
There are several changes to this General Permit compared to the one that will expire on December 4, 2010. The key changes are:
• Some new words: Exposed salt storage and distribution piles, Discharge, Significant spills, have been added and defined to make the permit clearer.
• Several parameters have been removed from monitoring requirements in Appendices A, B, C, D and J as a result of the Tetra Tech study report and agreement with ALCOA, while Appendix L (Petroleum Marketing Terminals) was revised to include15/30mg/L oil and grease limitations. A new Appendix M (Non-Classified Facilities) was added. Facilities cannot choose coverage under this section, but can only be so assigned by the Director.
• The Notice of Intent (NOI) form now has some new blocks to get more useful information from the permittees. Examples include applicable appendix which the industrial activity falls under, SARA Title 3 questions about reportable quantities are now much clearer.
• The NOI filing fees have changed from $100 to $750.
• All Discharge Monitoring Reports have added space for naming the watershed where the monitoring took place, and the certification language has been corrected and standardized.
• A new paragraph has been included to clarify what constitutes no exposure, making it possible for more facilities to qualify for ''No Exposure Certification,'' while the No Exposure Certification questions have included a question about the development of a comprehensive PPC (Preparedness, Prevention and Contingency) plan, which every permittee, intent on using this option must now have.
The permit documents package will be available at the Department's central and regional offices and can still be accessed at the Department's web site at www.depweb.state.pa.us by selecting: Permits, Licensing & Certification; Program-Specific Permit/Authorization Packages; Water Management; NPDES; General Permits; PAG-03: Discharges of Stormwater Associated with Industrial Activities.
JOHN HANGER,
Secretary[Pa.B. Doc. No. 10-2323. Filed for public inspection December 3, 2010, 9:00 a.m.]
