EPA Approves Storm Water Permit

EPA has approved reissuance of its storm water permit for construction activities. It does not apply in West Virginia, but most states follow its form and impose similar requirements in their state storm water construction permits. In that regard, it's a good guide to what the West Virginia DEP will be offering in the future. The following is a press release from EPA


EPA Re-Issues Permit for Construction Site Stormwater The EPA is re-issuing a stormwater Construction General Permit (CGP), which expired July 1, 2008, for a two-year time period. The permit will apply only where EPA is the permitting authority, which is in five states (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Idaho and Alaska); Washington, D.C.; most territories; and most Indian country lands.
The CGP regulates the discharge of stormwater from construction sites that disturb one acre or more of land, and from smaller sites that are part of a larger, common plan of development. The permit requires operators of the construction sites to use stormwater controls and develop stormwater pollution prevention plans to minimize the discharge of sediment and other pollutants associated with construction sites in stormwater runoff.
Under the re-issued permit, new dischargers include new construction sites that start construction on or after the effective date of this permit and those that have already started construction, but do not have coverage under the 2003 CGP. Sites that have coverage under the 2003 CGP must continue to comply with the provisions of that permit and do not need to apply for coverage under this new permit.
The permit uses most of the same terms and conditions as EPA's 2003 permit. EPA is coordinating the permit with a second effort that is underway to establish national clean water standards, known as an effluent limitation guideline, for the construction and development industry. Upon finalization of the guideline, EPA plans to include its provisions into a new and improved five-year CGP to be reissued no later than July 2010.
For more information on the Construction General Permit: http://www.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/cgp
2) Effective Utility Management Primer and Electronic Toolbox Released To assist utility managers in promoting sustainable operations and improving performance, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency helped create the ?Effective Utility Management Primer.? This is a collaborative effort with six national associations: Water Environment Federation, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, American Water Works Association, Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, American Public Works Association, and National Association of Water Companies.
Based on the ?Ten Attributes of Effectively Managed Water Sector Utilities? and the five ?Keys to Management Success,? the primer provides a framework through a customized, incremental approach to help utility managers identify which of the 10 attributes they should focus on first. It also features a series of suggested utility performance measures. This will allow utilities to establish a performance baseline and begin to measure their progress. The document is available at http://www.epa.gov/waterinfrastructure/pdfs/tools_si_watereum_primerforeffectiveutilities.pdf
There is also an electronic resource toolbox that utilities will be able to access on-line from the collaborating organizations at http://watereum.org/. Water and wastewater utilities across the country are facing many common challenges, including rising costs, aging infrastructure, increasingly stringent regulatory requirements, population changes, and a rapidly changing workforce. Effective utility management is critical to enable utilities to tackle challenges, increase performance and achieve success in the long run