NPDES Permits: What You Need to Know

Overview

• NPDES permits are required for discharging pollutants into US surface waters.
• Issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and co-issued with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP).
• Regulate wastewater discharges by limiting pollutants and imposing monitoring requirements.

Types of Permits

Individual Permits

• Tailored to specific conditions of a single discharger.
• Developed based on the facility's application details.
• Effective for a period of up to five years.

General Permits

• Cover multiple dischargers with similar operations.
• Dischargers request coverage by submitting a Notice of Intent (NOI) to the EPA.

Major vs Minor Facilities

Major Facilities

• Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs) with a design flow of 1 MGD or more.
• Facilities with an industrial pretreatment program.
• Non-POTWs scoring 80+ points on the EPA NPDES Permit Rating Sheet.

Minor Facilities

• Smaller-scale operations not meeting major criteria.

Permit Designations and Fees

Designations

• WM05: Major NPDES Surface Water Discharge Permits
• WM06: Minor NPDES Surface Water Discharge Permits
• WM07: Modification to NPDES Permit
• WM15: NPDES General Permit

Application Fees

• WM05: $6,785
• WM06: $3,170
• WM07: $985
• WM15: $500 (not required for all applications)

Annual Compliance Fees

• WM05: $10,800
• WM06: $1,830

Applying for an Individual NPDES Permit

• Submit applications to both EPA Region 1 and MassDEP.
• Contact Xiaodan Ruan for industrial discharge questions.
• Contact Claire Golden or Jennifer Wood for non-industrial discharges.

MassDEP Requirements for General Permits

• Generally administered by EPA with NOI.
• Specific situations require MassDEP submission:
  • Construction General Permit (CGP) with ORW discharge.
  • Massachusetts Small MS4 Permit.
  • Publicly Owned Treatment Works GP.
  • Potable Water Treatment Facilities GP for first-time applicants.
  • Remediation GP with ORW discharge.
  • Dewatering GP with Class A or SA Waters discharge.
  • Hydroelectric GP with ORW discharge.

Applying for NPDES General Permits

• Requires NOI submission mostly to EPA.
• Some cases require MassDEP transmittal form, EPA's NOI, and payment.

Stormwater General Permits

• Include Construction GP, Multi-Sector GP, and MS4 Permit.

Other General Permits

• Dewatering GP, Hydroelectric GP, Noncontact Cooling Water GP, Pesticide GP, Potable Water Treatment Facilities GP, Publicly Owned Treatment Works GP, Remediation GP, Vessel GP.

Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR)

• Follow instructions from EPA for DMR forms.
• Refer to EPA's NPDES terminology glossary for additional information.