What is a SWPP Plan?
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In 1972, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (also referred to
as the Clean Water Act [CWA]) was amended to provide that the
discharge of pollutants to waters of the United States from any
point source is unlawful unless the discharge is in compliance
with an NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System) permit. The 1987 amendments to the CWA added
Section 402(p) which establishes a framework for regulating
municipal and industrial storm water discharges under the
NPDES Program. On November 16, 1990, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) published final
regulations that establish storm water permit application
requirements for specified categories of industries.
The regulations provide that discharges of storm water to waters
of the United States from construction projects that encompass
five (5) or more acres of soil disturbance are effectively
prohibited unless the discharge is in compliance with an NPDES
Permit. Regulations (Phase II Rule) that became final on
December 8, 1999 expand the existing NPDES program to
address storm water discharges from construction sites that
disturb land equal to or greater than one (1) acre.
While federal regulations allow two permitting options for storm
water discharges (individual permits and General Permits), the
SWRCB has elected to adopt only one statewide General Permit
at this time that will apply to all storm water discharges
associated with construction activity, except from those on Tribal
Lands, in the Lake Tahoe Hydrologic Unit, and those performed
by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).
Construction on Tribal Lands is regulated by an USEPA permit,
the Lahontan Regional Water Control Board adopted a separate
NPDES permit for the Lake Tahoe Hydrologic Unit, and the
SWRCB adopted a separate NPDES permit for Caltrans
projects. This General Permit requires all dischargers where
construction activity disturbs one acre or more, to develop and
implement a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP)
which specifies Best Management Practices (BMPs) that will
prevent all construction pollutants from contacting storm water
and with the intent of keeping all products of erosion from moving
off site into receiving waters.
as the Clean Water Act [CWA]) was amended to provide that the
discharge of pollutants to waters of the United States from any
point source is unlawful unless the discharge is in compliance
with an NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System) permit. The 1987 amendments to the CWA added
Section 402(p) which establishes a framework for regulating
municipal and industrial storm water discharges under the
NPDES Program. On November 16, 1990, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) published final
regulations that establish storm water permit application
requirements for specified categories of industries.
The regulations provide that discharges of storm water to waters
of the United States from construction projects that encompass
five (5) or more acres of soil disturbance are effectively
prohibited unless the discharge is in compliance with an NPDES
Permit. Regulations (Phase II Rule) that became final on
December 8, 1999 expand the existing NPDES program to
address storm water discharges from construction sites that
disturb land equal to or greater than one (1) acre.
While federal regulations allow two permitting options for storm
water discharges (individual permits and General Permits), the
SWRCB has elected to adopt only one statewide General Permit
at this time that will apply to all storm water discharges
associated with construction activity, except from those on Tribal
Lands, in the Lake Tahoe Hydrologic Unit, and those performed
by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).
Construction on Tribal Lands is regulated by an USEPA permit,
the Lahontan Regional Water Control Board adopted a separate
NPDES permit for the Lake Tahoe Hydrologic Unit, and the
SWRCB adopted a separate NPDES permit for Caltrans
projects. This General Permit requires all dischargers where
construction activity disturbs one acre or more, to develop and
implement a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP)
which specifies Best Management Practices (BMPs) that will
prevent all construction pollutants from contacting storm water
and with the intent of keeping all products of erosion from moving
off site into receiving waters.
What is a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan?
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