A Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) must be completed before the Notice of Intent and Public Notice is submitted to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and must be fully implemented concurrently with operation at the facility (or if a new facility, with the start of operation).

Storm Water General Permit No. 1, General Permit No. 2, and General Permit No. 3 mandate the development and implementation of a SWPPP. Individual SWPPP requirements for Permit No. 1, Permit No. 2, and Permit No. 3 are outlined in each permit; however, some basic information applies to all three:

  • The SWPPP should identify potential sources of pollution which may reasonably be expected to affect the quality of storm water.
  • A SWPPP does not need to be submitted to IDNR for approval and can be developed by qualified facility personnel.
  • The SWPPP is to be kept at the site of the storm water discharge and must be made available within three hours of being requested by the IDNR.
  • The SWPPP must be amended whenever there is a change in design, construction, operations, or maintenance that has a significant potential for discharge of pollutants.

A SWPPP shall include and/or address at a minimum, the following issues, activities and conditions.

General Permit No. 1 & No. 3

  • Identify a pollution prevention team or responsible party
  • Build on existing environmental management plans
  • Develop a site map
  • Identify potential pollutant sources
  • Identify past spills and leaks
  • Identify non-storm water discharges
  • Locate existing monitoring data (if any)
  • Prepare a site evaluation summary
  • Select best management practices (BMP’s) for the following:
    • Good housekeeping
    • Preventive maintenance
    • Visual inspections
    • Spill prevention and response
    • Sediment and erosion control
    • Management of runoff
  • Implement appropriate controls
  • Determine employee training needs
  • Conduct an annual site compliance evaluation
  • Record keeping and internal reporting
  • Plan revisions (ongoing)
  • Special requirements:
    • Special requirements for discharges through municipal separate storm sewer systems.
    • Special requirements for SARA Title III, Section 313, reporting facilities for chemicals classified as “Section 313 Water Priority Chemicals”.
      • NOTE: General Permit No. 3 facilities with Section 313 Water Priority Chemicals at the facility are not eligible for coverage under General Permit No. 3 and must instead seek coverage under General Permit No. 1.

General Permit No. 2

  • Collect site information
  • Develop site plan design
  • Describe the construction activity
  • Prepare SWPPP site map
  • Measure the site area
  • Determine the drainage areas
  • Calculate the runoff coefficient
  • Review and incorporate state and local requirements
  • Select erosion and sediment controls
  • Select other controls as needed
  • Select storm water management controls
  • Indicate the location of controls on the site map
  • Prepare an inspection and maintenance plan
  • Prepare a description of the controls
  • Prepare a sequence of major activities
  • Implement controls
  • Inspect and maintain controls
  • Maintain records of construction activities
  • Update/change the plan to keep the plan current
  • Report any “hazardous condition” and update the plan
  • Provide for plan location and access
  • Plan and conduct final stabilization specific to topsoil requirements
    • NOTE:  As of October 1, 2012 some of the requirements for General Permit No. 2 have changed, specifically requirements for topsoil.

Monitoring and Reporting – All General Permits

Specific parameters for monitoring and reporting are delineated for each type of facility as follows:

  • Those that fall under Section 313 of SARA Title III
  • Primary metal industries
  • Land disposal units/incinerators
  • Wood treatment
  • Coal pile runoff
  • Airports
  • Animal handling/meat packing
  • Battery reclaiming facilities
  • Coal fired steam electric facilities; and additional facilities
  • Construction sand and gravel facilities
  • Asphalt plants and rock crushing plants
  • Concrete batch plants

General requirements, monitoring and reporting instructions are outlined in each of the three General Permits.

Guidance and Sample SWPPP, General Permit No. 1, No. 2, No. 3

Step-by-step summary guidance documents and a sample SWPPP

Additionally, the IWRC can help you prepare your SWPPP if you are a small business with less than 200 employees. Call us at (319)273-8905 for more information.