Download Chapter 92 Watershed Permits

Chapter 92 – NPDES Permits
Watershed Permits
Issue: Some pollutants persist and accumulate
in the watershed, resulting in a threat to water
quality standards only after a threshold loading
or concentration is reached at some point in the
watershed.
• Biological monitoring detects problem
• Existing process poorly positioned to address
watershed-wide water quality concerns
effectively and at minimum cost
Chapter 92 – NPDES Permits
Watershed Permits
New methods and tools have enabled the
Department to better determine when watershedwide concerns apply, and to assign appropriate
limits to address the problem.
The ability to issue watershed-based NPDES
permits for point source discharges will provide
the implementation process to complement
these watershed-wide assessments.
Chapter 92 – NPDES Permits
Watershed Permits
Challenge: Minimize costs.
• Watershed permits avoid need for broad-brush,
excessively conservative approaches.
Customized wasteload allocation is the standard.
• Watershed permits provide the framework for
pollutant credit trading. This flexibility is
required to control costs and provide incentive
for highest, cost-effective degree of treatment
(because excess credits can be sold).