The California Water Boards' Annual Performance Report - Fiscal Year 2015-16
REGULATE: NPDES WASTEWATER
GROUP:
MAJOR NPDES FACILITIES
MEASURE:
NUMBER OF PERMITS ADOPTED OR RENEWED
NUMBER OF PERMITS PAST EXPIRATION DATE AS OF END OF FISCAL YEAR 2015-16
MESSAGE:
78 percent of permits for major NPDES facilities are current. Permits are required to be renewed within five years of their issuance date.
Key Statistics for FY 2015-16
Number of Active Facilities
270
Number of Permits Renewed
38
Number of Permits Expired
52
MEASUREMENTS
- Data Last Updated on:
01-03-2017 (11:36 am)
Region
Active Number of Facilities
Permits Issued / Renewed During FY 15-16
Target Permits Renewed
Permits Past Expiration Date as of June 30, 2016
Percentage of Facilities With Current Permits
1
12
4
2
5
58%
2
53
6
8
5
91%
3
22
1
6
11
50%
4
50
7
11
9
82%
5
52
12
8
7
87%
6
2
0
0
0
100%
7
8
1
4
0
100%
8
24
5
8
0
100%
9
47
2
4
15
68%
TOTAL
270
38
51
52
81%
WHAT THE MEASURE IS SHOWING
As of the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2014-15, 78 percent of permits for major NPDES facilities are current, while the remaining 58 permits for major NPDES facilities were past their expiration/review date (i.e., not updated) as of June 30, 2015. The permit backlog remains to be addressed and may represent an additional workload for FY 2015-16. The permit backlog varies among the Regional Water Boards, however the North Coast Region (Region 1), the San Francisco Bay Region (Region 2), the Central Valley Region (Region 5), and the San Diego Region (Region 9) have more than 80 percent of their permits for major NPDES facilities current. Regional Water Boards set targets for FY workloads, including the number of permits to be renewed. The Los Angeles Region (Region 4), the Central Valley Region, and the Colorado River Basin Region (Region 7) met, or exceed, their FY 14-15 target for permit renewals.
WHY THIS MEASURE IS IMPORTANT
In order to ensure that discharges to surface waters do not adversely affect the quality and beneficial uses of such waters, NPDES permits must be reviewed and revised to reflect new standards and requirements (such as new TMDLs and other water quality plans and policies adopted) and updates to monitoring and reporting requirements (reflecting previous facility performance and compliance history). NPDES permits expire five years after issuance and are required to be reissued (i.e., renewed) every five years or less (40 CFR Part 122.46 and California Water Code section 13380). Typically, permit requirements remain in effect until the permit is reissued, however NPDES permits may also be revoked or terminated. Revising and reissuing permits for major facilities requires a significant amount of time and resources, and is considered a good indicator of overall program performance.
TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Data Source: CIWQS. Period July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016.
Unit of Measure: Number of active NPDES permits for Major facilities as of June 30, 2016.
Data Definitions:Permits issued during FY 14-15: adoption date between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016. Permits Current: Permits not expired and not issued in FY 15-16. Permits Expired: permits with an expiration date before June 30, 2015.
Major municipal dischargers include all facilities with design flows of greater than one million gallons per day and facilities with approved industrial pretreatment programs. Major industrial facilities are determined based on specific ratings criteria developed by US EPA/State.
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
The NPDES permit program (CWA Section 402) 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.
NPDES Permit
The Clean Water Act prohibits anybody from discharging "pollutants" through a "point source" into a "water of the United States" unless they have an NPDES permit. The permit contains limits on what can be discharged, monitoring and reporting requirements, and other provisions to protect water quality and public health. In essence, the permit translates general requirements of the Clean Water Act into specific provisions tailored to the operations of each person discharging pollutants.
