Developing a PPC under the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection? Confused about stormwater compliance? We’ve compiled the answers to the most common questions below.

• Who must apply for coverage under this permit?
• How do I apply for permit coverage?
• Can I get an exemption from the permit?
• What is the start and end date of my permit?
• What is my monitoring and reporting period?
• When is my annual report due?
• Do I need a special certification to write a Preparedness, Prevention and Contingency (PPC) Plan?
• Is training required? And how often is training required?
• Do I have to sample and if so, what must I sample for?
• When do I collect samples / How often?
• How often do I need to perform inspections?
• What do I inspect?
• What happens if my sample results are above benchmark or limits?
• Contact Us 

Who must apply for coverage under this permit?

The 11 categories of regulated industrial activities are:

• Category One (i): Facilities subject to federal stormwater effluent discharge standards at 40 CFR Parts 405-471
• Category Two (ii): Heavy manufacturing (e.g., paper mills, chemical plants, petroleum refineries, steel mills and foundries)
• Category Three (iii): Coal and mineral mining and oil and gas exploration and processing
• Category Four (iv): Hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities
• Category Five (v): Landfills, land application sites, and open dumps with industrial wastes
• Category Six (vi): Metal scrapyards, salvage yards, automobile junkyards, and battery reclaimers
• Category Seven (vii): Steam electric power generating plants
• Category Eight (viii): Transportation facilities that have vehicle maintenance, equipment cleaning, or airport deicing operations
• Category Nine (ix): Treatment works treating domestic sewage with a design flow of 1 million gallons a day or more
• Category Ten (x): Construction sites that disturb 5 acres or more (permitted separately)
• Category Eleven (xi): Light manufacturing (e.g., food processing, printing and publishing, electronic and other electrical equipment manufacturing, public warehousing and storage)

How do I apply for permit coverage?

To obtain industrial stormwater permit coverage, you must submit a Notice of Intent (NOI) and checklist. Applicants can complete the form electronically found at www.dep.pa.gov -> Businesses-Water -> Wastewater Management -> NPDES and WQM Permitting Programs -> PAG-03 Discharges of Stormwater Assoicated with Industrial Activities and print the document for submission to Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Can I get an exemption from the permit?

Facilities seeking to obtain an exclusion from permit requirements based on a condition of no exposure would submit a No Exposure Certification application with a PAG-03 NOI and receive No Exposure Certification approval from DEP.

What is the start and end date of my permit?

Start date of the permit is September 24, 2016 and end date September 24, 2022.

What is my monitoring and reporting period?

Monitoring period begins January 1^st thru December 31^st.

When is my annual report due? 

May 1^st of the year.

Do I need a special certification to write a Preparedness, Prevention and Contingency (PPC) Plan?

 No, all reports requested by permits shall be signed by an individual or a position have responsibility for the overall operation of the regulated facility.

Is training required? And how often is training required?

The following training to provide to the appropriate employees:

- First Responder/Hazardous Material (Awareness Level): The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) requires, under 29 CFR Part 1910.120, that certain workers who are likely to witness or discover a hazardous material release receive annual training on what to do if you are a first responder to a hazardous material incident

- Right-To-Know: Based on the requirements of The Right-To-Know Law (Act 159 of 1984), an employee has a legal right to know the identity of hazardous substances used in the workplace and the health hazards posed by exposure to these substances. Annual training is provided to every Department employee that uses, handles, or is exposed to hazardous substances in the workplace

- PPC Training - Training records with adequate documentation are maintained for all employees. Topics covered are:

1. Proper material management and handling practices for specific chemicals, fluids, and other materials used or commonly encountered at the facility;
2. Spill prevention methods;
3. The location of materials and equipment necessary for spill clean-up;
4. Spill clean-up techniques;
5. Proper spill reporting procedures; and
6. Familiarization with good housekeeping measures, BMPs, and goals of the PPC.

Do I have to sample and if so, what must I sample for?

Yes, the following pollutants of concern to sample for are:

• Total Suspended Soilds (TSS)
• Chemical Oxygen Demand
• Chloride
• BOD5
• Oil and Grease
• pH

When do I collect samples / How often?

Once every 6 months – 1 between January-June and 1 between July-December.

How often do I need to perform inspections?

BMPs – Semiannually for the following locations, and at least once during a stormwater discharge:

• Areas where industrial materials or activities are exposed to stormwater.
• Areas identified in the Preparedness, Prevention and Contingency (PPC) Plan required in Part C IV as potential pollutant sources.
• Areas where spills or leaks have occurred in the past three years.
• Stormwater outfalls and locations where authorized non-stormwater discharges may commingle.
• Physical BMPs used to comply with this General Permit.

What do I inspect?

• Areas where industrial materials or activities are exposed to stormwater.
• Areas identified in the Preparedness, Prevention and Contingency (PPC) Plan required in Part C IV as potential pollutant sources.
• Areas where spills or leaks have occurred in the past three years.
• Stormwater outfalls and locations where authorized non-stormwater discharges may commingle.
• Physical BMPs used to comply with this General Permit.

What happens if my sample results are above benchmark or limits?

If benchmarks are exceeded “at the same outfall for two or more consecutive monitoring periods“ submit a corrective action plan within 90 days.

Contact Us

Have other questions regarding the Pennsylvania Stormwater Industrial General Permit that could not be answered by this article? Contact us at (800) 553-7420 or support@mapistry.com.