NPDES Permits

Wastewater, construction, stormwater, and pretreatment are managed through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, authorized by Section 402 of the federal Clean Water Act. DEQ has authority from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to issue NPDES permits, which control the discharge of treated wastewater into streams, rivers, and other waterways. You may need an NPDES permit if your facility pretreats or discharges wastewater, is a construction site, or is required to manage stormwater runoff.

The Water Office prepares two types of permits within the discharge permit program: individual and general. An individual permit is prepared for a specific facility with unique permit limits and conditions. DEQ has developed general permits for certain kinds of facilities with similar operations and types of discharge. Coverage under the general permits is less complicated and requires less paperwork than the individual permits while still protecting the environment. This agency organizes its general NPDES permits as stormwater and non-stormwater.

Discharge permit applications are divided by business sector or type of discharge and whether they are general or individual permits.