Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) Overview

Stormwater runoff is part of the natural hydrologic cycle. However, human activities can alter natural drainage patterns and add pollutants to the rainwater and snowmelt that run off the earth’s surface and enter streams, rivers, lakes, and coastal waters. To effectively reduce and/or prevent discharge of pollutants into receiving waters, the NPDES stormwater permit requires operators to do the following tasks:

• Prepare a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP)

• Monitor stormwater discharge

• Train employees

• Inspect the facility

The SWPPP is a self implementing plan for compliance with the requirements of the stormwater permit. The key elements of the SWPPP are to:

1. Identify the potential sources of stormwater pollution and evaluate their potential impact
   

2. Manage sources of potential pollution by best management practices (BMPs)
   

3. Inspect the entire facility, including industrial activities, and review the plan annually to ensure that pollution prevention and control procedures are effective and current
   

4. Train employees on stormwater pollution prevention

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