Ohio EPA Meeting on NPDES Permit Renewal Next Week

This permit is considered for renewal every five years; the draft permit specifies industries that must implement best practices to minimize or eliminate contamination of stormwater.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency will hold a hearing Jan. 9 starting at 3:30 p.m. to accept comments on renewing the state's National Pollution Discharge Elimination System General Permit for Storm Water Discharges Associated with Industrial Activity. The hearing will take place in the Ohio EPA Lazarus Government Center sixth floor Conference Room A, 50 W. Town St. in Columbus, Ohio.

This permit is considered for renewal every five years; the draft permit specifies industries that must implement best practices to minimize or eliminate contamination of stormwater, and businesses that are required to be covered must submit a Notice of Intent to Ohio EPA and also a stormwater pollution prevention plan. The state agency reviews these to ensure that companies manage potential runoff.

Information about the draft permit and Notice of Intent process is available online at epa.gov/npdes/stormwater-discharges-industrial-activities#factsheets. Both oral and written comments will be accepted at the hearing, and written comments will be accepted through Jan. 16. Written comments should have permit number OHR000006 next to the address on the envelope and on each page of submitted comments, and they may be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to Ohio EPA, Division of Surface Water – Permits Processing Unit; 50 W. Town St., Suite 700, P.O. Box 1049, Columbus, Ohio 43216-1049.

The public notice, fact sheet, and general permit are available at epa.ohio.gov/dsw/permits/GP_IndustrialStormWater.aspx.

Ohio EPA was created in 1972 to consolidate efforts to protect and improve air quality, water quality and waste management in Ohio.