Category: Environmental

General Environmental

Staying in Compliance with Your General Stormwater Permit

Posted on by Conversion Technology

What is the General Stormwater Permit?

Most facilities that conduct industrial activity exposed to stormwater are familiar with the NPDES Industrial Storm Water General Permit and are aware that it is issued by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD). The current General Stormwater Permit was issued in March 2017 and will continue through May 2022. This is the earliest effective date for reissuance of the permit. Facilities with a permit are authorized to discharge stormwater associated with industrial activity to the waters of the state of Georgia in accordance with the limitations, monitoring requirements and other conditions set forth in the permit.

What is the Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan? Continue reading “Staying in Compliance with Your General Stormwater Permit” →

Georgia Set To Release New General Stormwater Permit in 2022

Posted on by Conversion Technology

With the release of the EPA’s 2021 Stormwater Multisector General Permit (MSGP), the GA EPD, like many other states, is planning to adopt significant changes from the 2021 EPA MSGP to their Industrial General Permit (IGP) in May of 2022. These changes will apply to most if not all industry sectors covered under the current 2017 IGP. The EPD has confirmed the following as the “most significant changes” that have been added to the draft permit: Continue reading “Georgia Set To Release New General Stormwater Permit in 2022” →

What is a Smoke & Dye Test and Why is it Required?

Posted on by Conversion Technology

With the release of the 2012 Industrial General Stormwater Permit (IGP) the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) introduced the Smoke and Dye Testing requirement for any facility with sinks and floor drains in industrial areas that were installed prior to 2006. This requirement was rolled over into the 2017 IGP when it was released in June 2017 that all applicable permittees should conduct the Smoke and Dye Testing prior to the end of the permit cycle which is schedule to be May 30, 2022.
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The Necessity of Environmental and Safety Compliance Reviews

Posted on by Conversion Technology

All industrial facilities have a vested interest in operating in the most environmentally responsible and safe manner possible. This is because operating in this manner carries with it the lowest risk of interruption to production. Whether that interruption is in the form of a hazardous material release, regulatory violation, injury, lawsuit, or negative publicity, this is a situation that no facility wants to find themselves in. Reducing the potential for environmental pollution and improving worker safety might seem secondary to production, but serious injuries and regulatory violations can have significant implications which can range from heavy fines to shutting down operations entirely. All industrial facilities should, at the very least, take the time to consider whether they are currently running the risk of being impacted by these types of issues.

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Is My Facility Fully Covered by My Air Quality Permit?

Posted on by Conversion Technology

One of the easiest ways for an EPA or state inspector to find violations is to compare your current operating equipment and emissions with the permitted equipment and emissions. If you do not keep your Air Quality Permit up to date, you run the risk of an inspector finding serious violations – which come with serious monetary fines. This applies to your facility whether your permit is a Title V, Synthetic Minor, or even True Minor operating permit.

If you operate under a Title V Air Quality Permit, you are required to renew your permit every 5 years, and likely have an annual inspection conducted by the EPA or state. With these measures in place, chances are your Air Quality Permit is staying up to date. However, anytime your facility installs new operating equipment or removes/decommissions old operating equipment you should reassess your air emissions. Continue reading “Is My Facility Fully Covered by My Air Quality Permit?” →

EPA Allows Reclassification from A Major Source of Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAP) to An Area Source

Posted on by Adam Haroz, EIT

On July 26, 2019, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed revisions that would allow an operating facility to be reclassified from a major source of hazardous air pollutants under Section 112 of the Clean Air Act to an area source, thus removing the policy commonly known as “once in, always in”. This revision could take a lot of pressure for capital investments and permitting off of facilities that are eligible.

Continue reading “EPA Allows Reclassification from A Major Source of Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAP) to An Area Source” →

EPA’s Proposed Revisions to Emission Limits for Boiler MACT

Posted on by Conversion Technology

On January 31, 2013, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized amendments to the national emission standards (NESHAP) for the control of hazardous air pollutants (HAP) at major sources from new and existing industrial, commercial, and institutional (ICI) boilers and process heaters (Boiler MACT). Subsequently, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit), in a decision issued in July 2016, remanded several of the emission standards to the EPA based on the court’s review of the EPA’s approach to setting those standards. In response to these remands, this action proposes to amend several numeric emission limits for new and existing boilers and process heaters consistent with the court’s opinion and set compliance dates for these new emission limits. Continue reading “EPA’s Proposed Revisions to Emission Limits for Boiler MACT” →

When Should You Retest Your Indoor Air Quality?

Posted on by Conversion Technology

Indoor air quality is important for employee health and comfort. Poor air quality can lead to several negative health effects, including irritation, coughing, and fatigue. More serious health hazards such as occupational asthma, specific organ toxicity, or cancer can also occur, depending on the chemicals being handled on site. Because of this, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has developed permissible exposure limits (PELs) for several dusts, fumes, and vapors from various chemicals. These PELs, found in 29 CFR 1910.1000 Table Z-1, identify the maximum concentrations of different chemicals and materials an employee can be exposed over the course of an 8-hour work shift. Employees exposed to airborne concentrations of a material above a PEL may be at risk for serious health hazards. Continue reading “When Should You Retest Your Indoor Air Quality?” →

2019 Air Emission Inventory Reporting – Georgia

Posted on by Conversion Technology

Every year, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) requires that certain Title V major source facilities submit their air emission data to the state. EPD submits this emission data to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of the National Emissions Inventory (NEI) released every three years. The NEI is a comprehensive and detailed estimate of air emissions comprising of data from State, Local, and Tribal air agencies across the country. This data is used by the agencies for rule development, attainment/nonattainment designations, and State Implementation Plans (SIPs) for attainment and maintenance of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Continue reading “2019 Air Emission Inventory Reporting – Georgia” →

Management and Prevention of Stormwater Benchmark Exceedances

Posted on by Conversion Technology

The prevention of stormwater contamination is a major concern that does not discriminate between, and is applicable to, all types of industry. Stormwater can be defined as storm water runoff (e.g. rain flow), snow melt runoff, and drainage. All industrial facilities have some form of stormwater discharge which has the potential to be impacted by pollutants from different types of industrial activities, such as pallets stored outside, forklift traffic between buildings, outdoor parts storage, etc. Due to this potential, all industrial facilities in the United States are required to comply with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Industrial Stormwater Regulations. Noncompliance with any of the Industrial Stormwater Regulations, such as the discharge of stormwater mixed with pollutants from processes or other industrial activity, is a violation of the Clean Water Act, which regulates the discharge of pollutants to waters of the United States.

Facilities are required to ensure that any stormwater discharging from their property is free from contaminants by conducting analytical sampling. Continue reading “Management and Prevention of Stormwater Benchmark Exceedances” →