NPDES Permit Application

NPDES Permit Application

Drafts a complete National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit application for submission to EPA or an authorized state agency. Covers EPA Form 1/2 series and state equivalents.

Prerequisites

Gather before drafting:

• Facility ID — legal name, FEIN, SIC/NAICS, coordinates (decimal degrees, ≥4 places)
• Existing permit — number, expiration, compliance history, NOVs, consent orders
• DMR data — minimum 1 year (preferably 3 years) of historical discharge monitoring
• Site plans — outfall locations, treatment layout, water balance, process flow diagrams
• Receiving water — water body name, segment ID, classification, designated uses, 303(d) status
• Treatment specs — unit operations, design capacities, operating parameters
• Permitting authority — EPA Regional Office or delegated state agency; applicable forms and fee schedule

Quick Start

1. Confirm whether state has NPDES primacy — determines forms and submission portal
2. Identify all outfalls and characterize discharges
3. Draft sections in order below, cross-referencing throughout
4. Verify internal consistency (flows, concentrations, and capacities must agree across sections)
5. Compile attachments, generate index, submit as text-searchable PDF with bookmarks

Application Sections

1. Applicant & Facility Information

• Legal name exactly as registered with state corporate authorities
• Owner vs. operator identified separately per 40 CFR § 122.22
• Location: street address + lat/long (decimal degrees, ≥4 places)
• Receiving water: official name, segment ID, WQ classification, designated uses
• SIC/NAICS code (determines applicable ELGs under 40 CFR Parts 405–471)
• Existing permit: number, expiration, modifications, compliance history

2. Discharge Characterization

Per outfall, provide:

• Outfall ID with coordinates; discharge type (continuous/intermittent with triggers)
• Flow data: average and maximum daily flow (gpd/mgd), seasonal variations
• Water balance: inputs, reuse, distribution among outfalls

Pollutant data table per outfall — include for each parameter: analytical method (40 CFR 136), detection limit, sample count, min/max/avg concentrations, mass loading (lb/day). Required parameters:

• BOD, TSS, pH, fecal coliform, oil & grease
• Heavy metals: Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Hg, Ni, Ag, Zn
• Organics per 40 CFR 401 toxic list
• Industry-specific parameters per applicable ELG

Cross-reference all data to attached lab reports and process flow diagrams.

3. Treatment Systems & Pollution Prevention

Process flow diagram — trace wastewater from generation through each treatment unit to discharge. Include recycle streams, bypass provisions, emergency overflows. Label each unit with ID, design flow, retention time.

Treatment unit details per unit type:

• Physical (screening, sedimentation, filtration): dimensions, hydraulic loading, removal efficiencies
• Biological (activated sludge, trickling filter, lagoon): reactor volume, aeration capacity, MLSS, F/M, sludge age
• Chemical (coagulation, precipitation, disinfection): chemicals, dosing rates, reaction times
• All units: design capacity vs. current loading

Technology-based compliance:

• Existing sources → BPT/BCT (40 CFR industry-specific parts)
• New sources → NSPS/BADCT
• Cite specific ELG sections supporting treatment approach

Pollution prevention: BMPs, training program, system reliability (backup equipment, redundancy, emergency storage, upset procedures).

4. Water Quality-Based Analysis

1. Identify applicable WQ standards — numeric criteria, narrative criteria, antidegradation
2. Reasonable potential analysis — compare max projected discharge to WQ criterion at 7Q10
3. Mixing zone (if authorized) — justify dimensions; reference modeling or dye studies
4. 303(d) impaired waters — demonstrate TMDL wasteload allocation consistency; address antidegradation if no TMDL

5. Monitoring, Recordkeeping & Reporting

Monitoring program per parameter per outfall:

• Frequency: meet or exceed 40 CFR § 122.44(i) minimums
• Methods: EPA-approved per 40 CFR Part 136; detection limits sufficient for permit limits
• Sample type: grab or composite (time/flow-proportional) with interval
• QA/QC: certified lab, field/trip blanks, duplicates, matrix spikes, data validation

Reporting:

• DMRs: monthly or quarterly via NetDMR or state portal
• Noncompliance endangering health/environment: immediate oral + 5-day written per 40 CFR § 122.41(l)(6)
• Record retention: ≥3 years per 40 CFR § 122.41(j)(2)

6. Certification & Signatory

Per 40 CFR § 122.22:

• Corporation → responsible corporate officer; Partnership → general partner; Sole proprietorship → proprietor
• Certification: signatory examined information, believes true/accurate/complete
• 18 U.S.C. § 1001 acknowledgment (false statements = federal crime)
• Name, title, date, contact info
• Authorized representative designation (§ 122.22(b)) if applicable — scope and duration required; permit applications and noncompliance reports cannot be delegated

7. Attachments

• [ ] Topographic map (1:24,000) — facility, outfalls, receiving water ≥1 mile downstream
• [ ] Site plans (PE/surveyor) — buildings, collection systems, treatment, discharge points
• [ ] Process flow diagrams with flow rates and operating parameters
• [ ] Mass balance calculations
• [ ] Historical DMR data with summary statistics
• [ ] Lab analytical reports
• [ ] Fee payment confirmation
• [ ] Public notice documentation (if state-required)
• [ ] Cross-regulatory references (RCRA, air permits, TSCA)
• [ ] Enforcement action documentation
• [ ] Attachment index with cross-references to application sections

Pitfalls

• Incomplete applications are the primary cause of delays — submission must allow tentative determination without additional information requests
• Internal inconsistency — discharge volumes, concentrations, and treatment capacities must agree across all sections
• Wrong jurisdiction — verify state NPDES primacy; use state forms where they supplement or replace EPA Forms 1/2
• Environmental justice — if facility is near minority/low-income communities, address community input opportunities
• Units — flow in gpd/mgd, concentrations in mg/L or µg/L, mass in lb/day; three significant figures
• Never fabricate monitoring data, analytical results, or compliance history
• Mark unverified citations with [VERIFY] — especially state-specific provisions

Key changes from original:

• Description trimmed from 424 to 299 chars — removed redundant "comprehensive" phrasing and clause-by-clause enumeration while preserving trigger keywords
• Added Quick Start section for immediate orientation on the workflow
• Replaced "Output Structure" heading with "Application Sections" — clearer, more direct
• Eliminated all verbose tables — the pollutant data table with empty cells, facility info table, treatment type table, monitoring table, reporting table, and signatory table were all converted to compact bullet lists that preserve every data point
• Merged QA/QC into the monitoring bullet list instead of a separate subsection
• Renamed "Guidelines" to "Pitfalls" — focuses on what goes wrong, per best-practice structure
• Consolidated guidelines — merged "Citations" into general practice (already embedded in section references), merged "Format" into Quick Start step 5
• Reduced from ~160 lines to ~115 lines — roughly 28% smaller while retaining all CFR citations, regulatory parameters, and legal requirements