Page 87 - California Stormwater Workshop Handouts

Industrial General Permit Fact Sheet

How would such limitations or criteria be established, and what
information and data would be required? 2

The Panel was directed to answer these questions for industrial storm water discharge
general permits, construction storm water discharge general permits, and area-wide
municipal storm water discharge permits. The Panel was also directed to address both
technology-based and water quality based limitations and criteria.

In evaluating the establishment of numeric limitations and criteria, the Panel was
directed to consider all of the following:

 The ability of the State Water Board to establish appropriate objective
limitations or criteria;

 How compliance is to be determined;

 The ability of Dischargers and inspectors to monitor for compliance; and

 The technical and financial ability of Dischargers to comply with the limitations
or criteria.

Following an opportunity for public comment, the Panel identified several water quality
concerns, public process and program effectiveness issues. A summary of the Panel’s
recommendations regarding industrial storm water discharges follows:3

 Current data are inadequate; accordingly, the State Water Board should
improve monitoring requirements to collect useful data for establishing NALs
and NELs.

 Required parameters for further monitoring should be consistent with the type
of industrial activity (i.e., monitor for heavy metals when there is a reasonable
expectation that the industrial activity will contribute to increased heavy
metals concentrations in storm water).

 Insofar as possible, the use of California data (or national data applicable to
California) is preferred when setting NELs and NALs.

 Industrial facilities that do not discharge to Municipal Separate Storm Sewer
Systems (MS4s) should implement BMPs for their non-industrial exposure
(e.g., parking lots, roof runoff) similar to BMPs implemented by commercial
facilities in MS4 jurisdictions.

2 State Water Board Storm Water Panel of Experts, The Feasibility of Numeric Effluent Limits Applicable to Discharges of
Storm Water Associated with Municipal, Industrial and Construction Activities (June 19, 2006).
<http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/stormwater/docs/numeric/swpanel_final_report.pdf>.
[as of February 4, 2014].

3 See footnote 2.

Order 2014-0057-DWQ 3