Let’s define the term stormwater. Stormwater is runoff from rain, snow, or other forms of precipitation, which results in surface runoff and drainage. Several problems may arise when stormwater runoff occurs. All industrial and municipal activities interface with the surrounding environment at some point, which means that those activities could possibly create pollution. When stormwater comes into contact with these industrial or municipal operations, it can cause stormwater pollution. If this polluted stormwater flows or has the potential to flow off the industrial or municipal properties, it becomes subject to permitting under the NPDES. The NPDES has set specific limits and a system of onsite stormwater Best Management Practices, or BMPs, to eliminate or at least minimize this point source discharge.
When stormwater comes into contact with an industrial building, outdoor process activities, dust-generating activities, such as stack emissions and mining, outdoor material storage, parking lots, vehicles, and waste we have to consider where that water is ultimately going. When inspecting your site, it is a good idea to keep in mind these general categories as initial sources of possible pollutants: sediment and debris, nutrients, organic enrichment, pathogens, and hazardous materials.
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