Importance of Storm water pollution prevention team in developing a SWPPP

The Storm water pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) is intended to be a “living” document, updated as necessary, such that when industrial activities or storm water control practices are modified or replaced, the SWPPP is similarly revised to reflect these changes.

A typical SWPPP includes the following elements:

• Storm water pollution prevention team;

• Site description;

•Summary of potential pollutant sources;

• Description of control measures;

• Schedules and procedures;

• Documentation to support eligibility considerations under other federal laws; and

•Certification of the SWPPP.

The process of developing a Storm water pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) involves the following four steps:

• Step 1: Formation of a pollution prevention team of qualified personnel who will be responsible for preparing the plan and assisting the plant manager in implementing practices to comply with the permit;

• Step 2: Assessment of potential storm water pollution sources;

• Step 3: Selection of appropriate control measures that minimize the discharge of pollutants during storm events for each of these sources; and

• Step 4: Development of procedures for conducting required inspection/monitoring activities, as well as regular maintenance of control measures.

You are required to develop your Storm water pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) to address the specific conditions at your site and keep it up-to-date to reflect changes at your site both for your use and for review by the regulatory agencies responsible for overseeing your permit compliance

The first step in developing the Storm water pollution prevention plan is to identify the storm water pollution prevention team. The storm water pollution prevention team is responsible for assisting the facility manager in developing the changes made to the control measures.

Since industrial facilities differ in size and facility’s SWPPP as well as implementing and maintaining storm water control measures, taking corrective action where necessary to address permit violations or to improve the performance of control measures, and modifying the SWPPP to reflect complexity, the number of team members will also vary. The storm water pollution prevention team should consist of those people on-site who are most familiar with the facility and its operations and responsible for ensuring that necessary controls are in place to eliminate or minimize the impacts of storm water from the facility.

Author - Bio

A key member of the storm water pollution prevention team (for some facilities, this may be the only member) is the person with primary responsibility for developing and overseeing facility activities necessary to comply with the permit. This should be someone who will be on-site on a daily basis and who is familiar with the facility and its operations. This person will also likely have primary responsibility for ensuring that inspections and monitoring activities are conducted. If an EPA or State inspector visits the facility, this person will be the main point of contact for the Storm water pollution prevention plan (SWPPP). Quest Consultants provides professional engineering services relating to SWPPP. It also provides SWPPP training to its clients so that they can develop and implement effective SWPPP plan. To know more information, visit our www.questepa.com.