You Can’t Perform What You Don’t Know: Industrial Stormwater Management Overview

With the rise of industrial stormwater permits being required and enforced across the country, more and more companies and industries are falling under regulatory oversight. This presentation covers the basics of industrial stormwater management under what is often called the Multi-Sector General Permit or the Industrial Stormwater Permit. We will discuss the major components and requirements for all sites and glance at a few distinct industries for an example of how each sector of the permit is designated with necessary control measures aimed at reducing the discharge of potential pollutants from each unique industrial process.

Full Abstract: With the rise of industrial stormwater permits being required and enforced across the country, more and more companies and industries are falling under regulatory oversight. This session covers the basics of the industrial stormwater management program under what is often called the Multi-Sector General Permit or the Industrial Stormwater Permit. While only an introductory session, there is a lot more information which industrial permittees must acquaint themselves. We will touch on the major components and requirements for all sites and glance at a few distinct industries for an example of how each sector of the permit is designated with necessary control measures aimed at reducing the discharge of potential pollutants from each unique industrial process. The main goal of this industrial permit is to ensure that each site is managing its own potential pollutants unique to its operations. These range from food production and distribution to glass making to metal fabrication to copper ore mining. A wide range of industrial activities required by our advanced civilization, but also posing distinct and real risks to our surface waters. The industrial permit makes each group of like industrial activities, as identified by their unique standard industrial classification code or SIC Code, to test for and prevent the discharge of known pollutants from that type of activity. There are narrative as well as numeric limits to the discharge of pollutants from the site and this is regulated by each grouping of these SIC Codes which is called a Sector. That is why it is called the Multi-Sector General Permit.