Developing a SWPPP under the New Mexico Environment Department? 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 SWPPP?
• 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 29 industrial sectors regulated are:

• Sector A: Timber Products Facilities
• Sector B: Paper and Allied Products Manufacturing Facilities
• Sector C: Chemical and Allied Products Manufacturing and Refining
• Sector D: Asphalt Paving and Roofing Materials, Manufacturers and Lubricant Manufacturers
• Sector E: Glass, Clay, Cement, Concrete, and Gypsum Product Manufacturing Facilities
• Sector F: Primary Metals Facilities
• Sector G: Metal Mining (Ore Mining and Dressing) Facilities
• Sector H: Coal Mines and Coal Mining-Related Facilities
• Sector I: Oil and Gas Extraction Facilities
• Sector J: Mineral Mining and Processing Facilities
• Sector K: Hazardous Waste Treatment, Storage, or Disposal Facilities
• Sector L: Landfills and Land Application Sites
• Sector M: Automobile Salvage Yards
• Sector N: Scrap Recycling and Waste Recycling Facilities
• Sector O: Steam Electric Power Generating Facilities, Including Coal Handling Areas
• Sector P: Motor Freight Transportation Facilities, Passenger Transportation Facilities, Petroleum Bulk Oil Stations and Terminals, Rail Transportation Facilities, and United States Postal Service Transportation Facilities
• Sector Q: Water Transportation Facilities with Vehicle Maintenance Shops and/or Equipment Cleaning Operations
• Sector R: Ship and Boat Building or Repair Yards
• Sector S: Vehicle Maintenance Areas, Equipment Cleaning Areas, or Deicing Areas Located at Air Transportation Facilities
• Sector T: Treatment Works
• Sector U: Food and Kindred Products Facilities
• Sector V: Textile Mills, Apparel, and Other Fabric Product Manufacturing Facilities
• Sector W: Wood and Metal Furniture and Fixture Manufacturing Facilities
• Sector X: Printing and Publishing Facilities
• Sector Y: Rubber, Miscellaneous Plastic Products, and Miscellaneous Manufacturing Industries
• Sector Z: Leather Tanning and Finishing Facilities
• Sector AA: Fabricated Metal Products Manufacturing Facilities
• Sector AB: Transportation Equipment, Industrial, or Commercial Machinery Manufacturing Facilities
• Sector AC: Electronic and Electrical Equipment and Components, Photographic, and Optical Goods Manufacturing Facilities 

How do I apply for permit coverage? 

To obtain industrial stormwater permit coverage, you must submit a Notice of Intent (NOI) and develop a SWPPP. Applicants can submit required documents electronically found via EPA’s eNOI system (www.epa.gov/npdes/eNOI).

 

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 using the NPDES eReporting Tool, or “NeT”, to prepare and submit your No Exposure Certification (NOE) form.

What is the start and end date of my permit?

Start date of the permit is June 4, 2015 and end date June 4, 2020.

What is my monitoring and reporting period? 

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

When is my annual report due?

January 30th of the year.

Do I need a special certification to write a SWPPP?

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? 

You must train all employees annually who work in areas where industrial materials or activities are exposed to stormwater, or who are responsible for implementing activities necessary to meet the conditions of this permit (e.g., inspectors, maintenance personnel), including all members of your stormwater pollution prevention team. You must ensure the following personnel understand the requirements of this permit and their specific responsibilities with respect to those requirements:

• Personnel who are responsible for the design, installation, maintenance, and/or repair of controls (including pollution prevention measures);
• Personnel responsible for the storage and handling of chemicals and materials that could become contaminants in stormwater discharges;
• Personnel who are responsible for conducting and documenting monitoring and inspections; and
• Personnel who are responsible for taking and documenting corrective actions.

 

Personnel must be trained in at least the following if related to the scope of their job duties (e.g., only personnel responsible for conducting inspections need to understand how to conduct inspections):

• An overview of what is in the SWPPP;
• Spill response procedures, good housekeeping, maintenance requirements, and material management practices;
• The location of all controls on the site required by this permit, and how they are to be maintained;
• The proper procedures to follow with respect to the permit’s pollution prevention requirements; and
• When and how to conduct inspections, record applicable findings, and take corrective actions.

 

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?

You must monitor at least once in each of the following 3-month intervals:

• January 1 – March 31;
• April 1 – June 30;
• July 1 – September 30;
• October 1 – December 31.

How often do I need to perform inspections?

Inspections must be conducted at least quarterly (i.e., once each calendar quarter), or in some instances more frequently (e.g., monthly). Increased frequency may be appropriate for some types of equipment, processes and stormwater control measures, or areas of the facility with significant activities and materials exposed to stormwater. At least once each calendar year, the routine inspection must be conducted during a period when a stormwater discharge is occurring.

What do I inspect?

During the inspection you must examine or look out for the following:

• Industrial materials, residue or trash that may have or could come into contact with stormwater;
• Leaks or spills from industrial equipment, drums, tanks and other containers;
• Offsite tracking of industrial or waste materials, or sediment where vehicles enter or exit the site;
• Tracking or blowing of raw, final or waste materials from areas of no exposure to exposed areas;
• Control measures needing replacement, maintenance or repair.

 

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

The average of four quarterly sampling results exceeds an applicable benchmark, than you must review your SWPPP (e.g., sources of pollution, spill and leak procedures, non-stormwater discharges, selection, design, installation and implementation of your control measures) to determine if modifications are necessary to meet the effluent limits in this permit and submit a correction action within 14 days.

Contact Us

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