Major Components of a Stormwater Permit

All NPDES permits, at a minimum, consist of five general sections:

• Cover Page - Identifying document that typically contains the name and location of the permittee, a statement authorizing the discharge, and the specific locations for which a discharge is authorized.
  

• Effluent Limits - Regulations serving as the primary mechanism for controlling discharges of pollutants to receiving waters. Permit writers derives appropriate effluent limits based on applicable technology-based and water quality-based standards.

• Monitoring and Reporting Requirements - Used to characterize waste streams and receiving waters, evaluate wastewater treatment efficiency, and determine compliance with permit conditions.

• Standard Conditions - Preestablished conditions that apply to all NPDES permits and delineate the legal, administrative, and procedural requirements of the permit.

• Special Conditions - Conditions developed to supplement effluent limit guidelines. Examples include: best management practices (BMPs), additional monitoring activities, ambient stream surveys, and toxicity reduction evaluations (TREs).

Every permit contains these five basic sections, but the contents of sections will vary depending on whether the permit is issued to a municipal or industrial facility and whether the permit will be issued as an individual or general permit.

Copyright @ January,2005 Prepared by Transportation Environmental Resource Center (TERC)