The California Water Boards' Annual Performance Report - Fiscal Year 2008-09

REGULATE: NPDES WASTEWATER

MEASUREMENTS

WHAT THE MEASURE IS SHOWING

General Permits are used broadly across the state. The largest number of facilities regulated with a general wastewater NPDES permit are in Regions 2, 4, 5 and 8.  General permits themselves must be renewed every five years.  Overall, the number of new enrolless did not increase siginificantly across the state during FY 09-09.  The largest increases occurred in Regions 4 and 5.

WHY THIS MEASURE IS IMPORTANT

A general permit is developed and issued by a State or Regional Board to cover multiple facilities within a specific category. General permits may offer a cost-effective regulatory option for the State or Regional Board because of the large number of facilities that can be covered under a single permit. According to 40 CFR §122.28, general permits may be written to cover categories of point sources having common elements, such as facilities with similar types of operations, effluent limitations, operating conditions, and/or monitoring requirements.  General permits may only be issued to dischargers within a specific geographical area such as a designated planning area, sewer district, City, County, or State boundary.  This measure tracks the level of activity under the existing permits.

TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS

• Data Source: CIWQS extracted on August 15, 2009. Period July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009.
• Unit of Measure: Number of active facilities enrolled under an NPDES general permit during FY 08-09.
• Data definitions: New enrollees issued during FY 08-09: effective date between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009. Current: enrollees:  not expired and not issued in FY 08-09.
• References: More information on the Water Boards’ NPDES program is available at: https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/npdes/
• Public reports and data are available at: https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/ciwqs/publicreports.shtml

GLOSSARY

General Permit

An NPDES permit issued under 40 CFR 122.28 that authorizes a category of discharges under the CWA within a geographical area. A general permit is not specifically tailored for an individual discharger.

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)

The NPDES permit program (Section 402 of the Clean Water Act) controls water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants into waters of the United States. Point sources are discrete conveyances such as pipes or man-made ditches. Individual homes that are connected to a municipal system, use a septic system, or do not have a surface discharge do not need an NPDES permit; however, industrial, municipal, and other facilities must obtain permits if their discharges go directly to surface waters. US EPA has approved the Water Board’s program to issue NPDES permits.

(Updated 9/20/11)