Water is a very important substance for all life on earth and needs protection from pollution and contamination. Under the Clean Water Act, people are prohibited from discharging pollutants to any water body in the United States without a permit. You need a permit if you have any waste that you need to discharge into a water body such as a river or lake.
If approved, the NPDES permit will allow you to discharge the specific wastes into the water body indicated in your application. The main purpose of issuing the permit is to ensure that no one pollutes any water body with toxic substances. If you want to apply for an NPDES services permit, here is all you need to know about it.
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Do You Need the Permit?
It depends on where you discharge pollutants in a water body. If you use a point source to discharge the pollutant to a water body, you must get an NPDES services permit. However, if you are discharging the pollutants into a sewer system, you do not need to get a permit.
Who Issues the Permit?
If you want to apply for the NPDES services permit, you need to make an application from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or recommended state agency. Where you get the permit will vary depending on the state you are in; some have stage agencies that have authority to issue the permit, while others require you to make an application with EPA.
Types of Permits
There are two types of NPDES services permits; individual and general permits. Individual permits cover discharges of pollutants from individual facilities, while general permits cover discharges from industrial sites, construction activities, and municipal stormwater. You should consult a professional if you are unsure which permit you must apply for.
What If You Do Not Get a Permit?
If you did not get NPDES services permit and have discharged pollutants to a United States water body, you would be given time to correct the mistake if it is your first-time offense.
However, if you have a record of non-compliance, you will be forced to comply and pay fines. You also leave yourself vulnerable to civil lawsuits by individuals and advocacy groups for polluting their water source.
Apply for an NPDES Services Permit
To ensure you comply with the laws under the Clean Water Act, you should apply for the NPDES services permit before you discharge any pollutant into a water body in the United States. Do not wait until you get a visit from law enforcement or a notice of intention to sue before you apply for the permit.
Author bio- Building off over 3 decades of experience from working with his father Jim Mayfield (Mayfield Enterprises, Inc.), James mastered the industry in Foremanship for over 15 years on HAZMAT and Superfund Sites throughout Southern California. Among many other partners, we has worked with Project Navigator, RE Solutions, Crew Grading Inc., WSP, SCS Engineers, TRC Corporation, GeoSyntec, NV5 Environmental, Entact Corp, Waste by Rail, Michael Baker, ERRG, O&M Corp, Largo Concrete, B&D Construction, Xebec, WorkSmart, JLL Enterprises, Mayfield Enterprises, Inc., Arcadis, and more. In addition to being a Stanford-educated Professor with over 30 publications and books in several languages (see Academic Resume), James’ real passion lies in Construction-related Project Management, Environmental Cleanups, HAZMAT, Excavation, and Field Labor. We are also Minority-Owned. James Mayfield is a Native American citizen of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas & Nebraska.
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