Michigan Storm Water Permits Required for Construction Sites, Industrial Facilities, and Municipal-M
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) oversees three specific storm water permitting programs for facilities required to have a permit. These three MDEQ-administered programs cover:
Construction Sites;
Industrial Facilities
Municipalities/MS4 systems.
Construction Sites: Construction activities in Michigan that disturb at least one acre of land and have a point source discharge of storm water to waters of the state are required to obtain a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit from the MDEQ. Waters of the state include lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands. There are three types of construction storm water permits issued:
Permit within 500 feet of a Lake or Stream and/or <1 Acre of Disturbance
Permits greater than 1 Acre but Less than 5 Acres of Disturbance
Permits greater than 5 Acres of Disturbance
The MDEQ uses a permitting process called "Permit-by Rule” for issuing the necessary storm water permit coverage for Construction Sites required to have a permit.
Industrial Facilities: The MDEQ requires industrial facilities to have an industrial storm water certified operator. The storm water certified operator has supervision over the storm water treatment and control measures at the facility. Each facility is also required to develop a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP). CFR Environmental provides certified storm water operator services, environmental compliance and monitoring support, and SWPPP preparation for facilities required to have a storm water permit. The MDEQ offers three types of industrial facility storm water permits:
General permit
General permit with monitoring requirements
Site-specific individual permit
Municipal Program/MS4: An MS4 is a storm water drainage system that is not a combined sewer or connected to a sewage treatment plant. During rainy and snow-melt weather events, potential pollutants are transported by storm water through MS4s to local water bodies (lakes, rivers, streams). MS4 permittees include cities, townships, villages, counties, school districts, and colleges. There are two types of NPDES permits issues for the Municipal/MS4 storm water program: the NPDES Watershed Permit - MIG619000 or NPDES Jurisdictional Permit - MIS040000.
Not sure if you need a storm water permit? CFR Environmental can provide guidance in determining if your facility is required to have a permit based upon rules in 40 CFR Part 122.26 and state-specific regulations.