Category: Storm Water

2025 Environmental Deadlines

Posted on by Conversion Technology

With a new year comes the never-ending requirements for environmental permit submittals, agency notifications, and chemical reporting. Because of these requirements it is always important for a facility to examine upcoming environmental deadlines. This ensures that the facility maintains current knowledge of its environmental obligations and lays the foundation for annual planning to meet those obligations.

The following is a compilation of a wide range of environmental deadlines in 2025 that may assist your facility in preparing to maintain environmental compliance in the upcoming year: Continue reading “2025 Environmental Deadlines” →

Discharge of Lumber Dry Kiln Condensate

Posted on by Conversion Technology


The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates dry kiln condensate in 40 CFR 429.130 under the “Finishing” subcategory. The EPA asserts that there shall be no discharge of process wastewater pollutants into navigable water. Furthermore, lumber manufacturers are subject to Industrial Stormwater Permitting Regulations under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). Lumber manufacturers are covered under Sector A: Timber Products of the EPA’s Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP), which states that as a process water discharge, kiln condensate is considered a non-allowable stormwater discharge. Section 6 of the MSGP states that any discharges not expressly authorized in the MSGP cannot become authorized or shielded from liability under the Clean Water Act section 402(k), preventing state environmental divisions from permitting kiln condensate to discharge into state waters. Because of the multiple layers of regulations, there can be no direct discharge of kiln condensate to state waters, regardless of how well the kiln condensate is treated. Continue reading “Discharge of Lumber Dry Kiln Condensate” →

2025 Environmental Deadlines

Posted on by Conversion Technology

With a new year comes the never-ending requirements for environmental permit submittals, agency notifications, and chemical reporting. Because of these requirements it is always important for a facility to examine upcoming environmental deadlines. This ensures that the facility maintains current knowledge of its environmental obligations and lays the foundation for annual planning to meet those obligations.

The following is a compilation of a wide range of environmental deadlines in 2025 that may assist your facility in preparing to maintain environmental compliance in the upcoming year: Continue reading “2025 Environmental Deadlines” →

Georgia EPD Annual Reports Requirements

Posted on by Conversion Technology

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) calendar year 2022 Annual Reports are due to be submitted by January 31, 2023.  The Annual Reports will need to be submitted through the EPD’s online portal GEOS  located at https://geos.epd.georgia.gov/GA/GEOS/Public/GovEnt/Shared/Pages/Main/Login.aspx.

The new Annual Report format for the 2022 Industrial General Storm Water Permit (IGP) has not yet been populated in the GEOS portal; however, it should be available early January. In preparation to submit the annual report the Responsible Official (RO) will need to collect compliance data for calendar year 2022 such as: Continue reading “Georgia EPD Annual Reports Requirements” →

Staying in Compliance with Your General Stormwater Permit

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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?

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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.
Continue reading “What is a Smoke & Dye Test and Why is it Required?” →

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” →