| STORMWATER POLLUTION PREVENTION PLANS |
Bay Environmental, Inc. prepares Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPP) for those facilities that discharge to waters of the United States and engage in industrial activities, including some construction activities. The typical SWPPP, is a site-specific document written for an individual facility, which includes the following components:
- Facility inspections
- Site map showing outfalls, operations and drainage areas.
- Description of facility industrial activities.
- Description of exposed industrial activities and previous spills.
- Identification of non-stormwater discharges.
- Procedures for eliminating non-authorized discharges.
- Description of existing stormwater management and water quality controls.
- Description of proposed stormwater management and water quality controls.
- Outfall monitoring procedures.
- Training guidelines.
- Schedule of implementation.
Facilities with industrial-type activities, but not subject to current NPDES regulations, may desire to develop a stormwater management program to improve the runoff quality from the site or to mitigate quality or quantity-related problems.
| SPILL (SPCC) PLANS | [Back to top] |
As a strategy to prevent oil spills from reaching navigable waters of the United States, EPA requires that certain facilities develop and implement Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) Plans. Unlike oil spill contingency plans that typically address spill cleanup measures after a spill has occurred, SPCC plans ensure that facilities put in place containment and other countermeasures that would prevent oil spills that could reach navigable waters. Under EPA's Oil Pollution Prevention regulation, facilities must detail and implement spill prevention and control measures in their SPCC Plans. A spill contingency plan is required as part of the SPCC Plan if a facility is unable to provide secondary containment (e.g., berms surrounding the oil storage tank).
Each SPCC plan, while unique to the facility it covers, must include certain elements. To ensure that facilities comply with the spill prevention regulations, EPA periodically conducts on-site facility inspections. EPA also requires owners and operators of facilities that experience two or more oil spills within a 12-month period to submit their SPCC Plans and other information to EPA for review.
A copy of the entire SPCC Plan must be maintained at the facility if the facility is normally attended for at least eight hours per day. Otherwise, it must be kept at the nearest field office. The SPCC Plan must be available to EPA for on-site review and inspection during normal working hours.
In July 2002, EPA issued a final rule amending the Oil Pollution Prevention regulation. This rule addresses requirements for SPCC Plans and clarifies applicability to owners or operators that use oil. A few highlights of the final rule include:
- Exempts completely buried storage tanks subject to requirements of UST regulations.
- Establishes a de minimus container size of 55 gallons.
- Establishes an aboveground storage capacity threshold of 1,320 gallons and removes the 660 gallon threshold.
- Requires testing of aboveground containers for integrity and leak testing of valves and piping on a regular schedule and when repairs are completed.
- Allows an agent of the Professional Engineer to visit and examine a facility in place of the PE. The PE must review the agent’s work and still certify the Plan. However, certification by a PE is not required for non-technical amendments to the Plan.
- Mandates training only for oil handling employees, instead of all employees.
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