South Dakota General Permit For Temporary Waste Water Discharge

The South Dakota Department of Environment & Natural Resources (SDDENR) has released its draft general NPDES permit to cover certain types of infrequent or on-time discharges of wastewater and/or stormwater. Under Federal Clean Water Act rules, these types of discharges can not occur unless covered under an NPDES permit. The types of discharges which would be allowed under the South Dakota permit, once finalized, include:

Construction dewatering,
Pump testing of water wells,
Discharges from swimming pools and similar structures,
Discharges of petroleum contaminated ground water from remediation sites,
Other types of short-term discharges meeting specific criteria.

In order to be covered under the general permit, dischargers will need to submit an application to the SDDENR.

The draft NPDES general permit specifies effluent limits and monitoring that must be conducted during the discharge. It also outlines specific Best Management Practices (BMP) that should be followed before, during and after the discharge occurs.

The draft general permit was placed on 30-day public comment, and will be finalized and available for use after comments are received and the permit modified, if necessary.

Caltha LLP provides expert consulting services to public and private sector clients in South Dakota and nationwide to address water quality standards, wastewater permitting and assessing potential impacts of chemicals in the aquatic environment.

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