NPDES General Storm Water Permits and Exempt Discharges
The system for regulating wastewater discharges to surface waters was created in 1972 by the Clean Water Act (CWA). The CWA made it unlawful to discharge any pollutant from a “point source” into navigable waters unless an NPDES permit was first obtained. There are two basic types of NPDES permits: individual and general permits. An individual permit is specifically tailored to an individual facility. A general permit covers a group of dischargers with similar qualities with