Utah Stormwater Expo ‘09
Everything under one roof

Meet the experts. Ask the questions. Get the answers. In addition to vendors and environmental companies, attendees can take a variety of stormwater classes. It’s an ideal way to stay up-to-date about the latest in stormwater compliance.

Stormwater compliance is part of the United States Clean Water Act and is administrated under the EPA. With Utah being a high desert area, water is of vital importance. Keeping drinking, recreation and fishing waters clean is a high priority.

Special requirements have been established for contractors and developers as well as industrial facilities. Failure to comply with these regulations can place a business in non-compliance and subject to serious fines.

The Utah Stormwater Expo ‘09 offers all the information you need at one event.

Location: South Towne Expo Center, 9575 S. State Street, Sandy, Utah, Hall 1.

Date: October 21-22, 2009 with special CPESC class on October 20,2009.

For more information, click here.

As you may know, the 2004 AZPDES De Minimis General Permit (DMGP) expired on March 17, 2009. ADEQ has drafted a new DMGP that is planned for issuance following public review and comment. The draft 2009 DMGP and the accompanying Fact Sheet are available on ADEQ’s DMGP web page.

A formal “Notice of Public Information” about the new DMGP can be found in the August 28, 2009 issue of the Arizona Administrative Register (Volume 15, issue 35), here.

The public comment period for the draft 2009 DMGP will extend through close of business on Monday, September 28, 2009. ADEQ will hold the following public meetings to present information and accept written and oral comments on the proposed general permit:

Tuesday, September 15, 2009, 10 AM to 12 Noon
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
Conference Room 3175 A & B
1110 West Washington Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85007

Thursday, September 17, 2009, 10 AM to 12 Noon
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality,
Southern Regional Office
State of Arizona Building, Conference Room 444
400 West Congress, Tucson, Arizona 85701

From Erosion Control Magazine

California is one of a handful of states, including Georgia, Oregon, and Washington, that are revising their construction general permit to include specific limits on the amount of sediment and other pollutants in construction-site runoff.

Development of these new rules was a several-year process. It involved a blue ribbon panel, which determined that numeric effluent limits could be feasible on larger projects, along with input from the construction community and the public through a series of public workshops with the SWRCB and staff.

“As a result, it’s likely that this permit will be adopted,” says Jeanne Duarte, CPESC. As president of Stormwater Resources, a consulting firm based in Valencia, CA, she has been providing input to the board in developing training to help developers and contractors meet the new permit requirements once the new permit is implemented.

California’s NEL requirements would apply to sites one acre or larger in size, based on the level of environmental risk as determined by such factors as type of soil, proximity to receiving waters, and revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) calculations. Only sites assessed as Risk Level 3, the highest, would be required to meet the NEL.

The NEL is based on available technology that would achieve the desired limits, Duarte notes. The new rules propose a pH limit of 6.0 to 9.0 for Risk Level 3 sites. For those sites that require an ATS the turbidity limit would be 10 NTUs. Otherwise, it would be 500 NTUs.

Under California’s new permit, only a properly credentialed or certificated person would qualify to prepare a stormwater pollution prevention plan as a SWPPP developer or to implement, inspect, or monitor such as plan as a SWPPP practitioner. Depending on the type of service provided, that would include, among others, CPESC, CPSWQ, and CESSWI registrants, she notes.

Editorial: Who is responsible for maintaining the SWPPP on foreclosed property?

Historically, banks haven't had to worry about environmental compliance issues on foreclosed properties they acquired. But during this market downturn, banks aren't able to sell the properties quickly enough to avoid facing the consequences of neglecting environmental regulations.

For example, one foreclosed subdivision in Georgia has accumulated millions of dollars in county fines for not complying with erosion control rules.

The vacant assets can soon turn into substantial financial liabilities if banks ignore their SWPPP responsibility. At last month's Arizona AGC environmental committee meeting one attendee asked if banks are indeed responsible for SWPPP on foreclosed properties in Maricopa County. Stan Snitzer, a county senior management analyst, said, "absolutely."

And all this comes at a time when scrutiny is most likely going to increase: the EPA’s proposed Effluent Limitations Guidelines would impose much tighter (and more expensive) controls on runoff from construction sites in many parts of the country.

We believe in balancing the needs of commerce with protecting the environment. But in this economic mess, things are way off kilter. Still, the laws the law, and it doesn't look like it's going to get any easier to maintain compliance.

— The Windswept Elements Editorial Team

Send an email to the editor.

A New Windswept Team Member

Michelle Wall recently joined the Windswept team as a payroll and accounts receivable administrator. Before coming to Windswept, Ms. Wall worked for a customer home developer.

Living in Gilbert, AZ, she moved to the Valley 10 years ago from Boise, Idaho for "the heat."