The California Water Boards' Annual Performance Report - Fiscal Year 2014-15

MEASUREMENTS  - Data Last Updated on: 06-24-2016 (9:44 am)

WHAT THE MEASURE IS SHOWING

In Fiscal Year (FY) 2014-15, the Storm Water Program inspected 12 percent of industrial storm water facilities, with 1,136 inspections performed at 1,017 facilities statewide. Industrial storm water facilities are unlikely to change significantly over time, so the frequency of inspections necessary to verify compliance may be lower than the frequency necessary for construction storm water facilities. For compliance purposes, some facilities are inspected more than once a year, which is why the total number of inspections is greater than the total number of facilities inspected. As a percentage of facilities inspected, the FY 14-15 inspection rate is similar to the inspection rate reported over the last several FYs (1,096 facilities inspected in FY 13-14; 1,132 facilities inspected in FY 12-13; 1,176 facilities inspected in FY 11-12; 1,170 facilities inspected in FY 10-11; and 409 facilities inspected in FY 09-10) statewide.

WHY THIS MEASURE IS IMPORTANT

Inspections are a primary tool used in determining and documenting compliance with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits and waste discharge requirements (WDR). The NPDES Storm Water Program uses inspection to assess compliance with NPDES requirements. The General Industrial Permit requires that an annual report be submitted each July 1st, which is used in conjunction with site inspections to verify facilities are in compliance with permit requirements.

TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS

• Data Source: SMARTS. Period July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015.
• Unit of Measure: Number of facilities inspected at least once.
• Data Definitions: Inspections: include inspections conducted by Regional or State Water Board staff, or US EPA. It includes any inspection type. Facilities: Include any construction facility enrolled under the storm water program that was active at least one day during FY 14-15. Facilities Inspected: Count of facilities inspected one or more times during a fiscal year. 
• References: Information on the Water Boards� NPDES Stormwater program
  Public Reports and Data
  Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Information

GLOSSARY

Industrial Stormwater Program

Discharges associated with 10 broad categories of industrial activities are regulated under the Industrial Storm Water General Permit Order 97-03-DWQ (General Industrial Permit), which is an NPDES permit.

General Permit

An NPDES permit issued under 40 CFR 122.28 that authorizes a category of discharges within a geographical area. A general permit is not specifically tailored for an individual discharger.

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)

The NPDES permit program (Section 402 of the Clean Water Act ) controls water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants into waters of the United States. Point sources are discrete conveyances such as pipes or man-made ditches. Individual homes that are connected to a municipal system, use a septic system, or do not have a surface discharge do not need an NPDES permit; however, industrial, municipal, and other facilities must obtain permits if their discharges go directly to surface waters.  US EPA has approved the Water Board’s program to issue NPDES permits.

Inspection (Compliance and Non Compliance)

The Regional Board or State Board may inspect the facilities of any discharger at any time pursuant to Water Code, Section 13267. Compliance activities include all activities necessary to determine if discharges are in compliance with waste discharge requirements, NPDES permits, and related enforcement orders. Compliance inspections are classified as either Level A or Level B, with Level A being more thorough.

( Page last updated:  10/9/15 )