Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC)

We provide Spill Prevention, Control & Countermeasure Plans for facilities required under EPA regulations. We adhere to the Clean Water Act (CWA) title 40 CFR part 112 when designing and implementing a SPCC plan. The purpose of the SPCC plan is to help facilities prevent a discharge of oil into navigable waters or adjoining shorelines. The rule is part of the US EPA oil spill prevention program and was published under the CWA.

Who is covered by the SPCC Rule?

A facility is covered (required) to have a SPCC plan in place if it has an aggregate aboveground storage capacity greater than 1320 US gallons or a buried storage capacity greater than 42000 US gallons and there is a reasonable expectation of an oil discharge into or upon navigable waters of the US or adjoining shorelines.

What Types of Oil Are Covered?

Oil of any type and any form. This includes everything from, but not limited to, petroleum oil, refined oil, sludge, synthetic oil, mineral oil, and oil mixes. Also, animal and fish oils, fats, and grease as well as vegetable oils, and oils from fruits, nuts and seeds.

How do I know if my facility could reasonably discharge oil into or upon navigable waters?

You can determine this by considering the geography and location of your facility relative to nearby navigable waters (such as streams, creeks and other waterways). Additionally, you should determine if ditches, gullies, storm sewers or other drainage systems may transport an oil spill to a nearby stream(s). You would also want to consider if precipitation runoff could transport oil into navigable waters of the US.

What Do Covered Facilities Have to Do?

A facility that meets the mentioned criteria MUST comply with the SPCC rule by preventing oil spills and developing and implementing a SPCC plan. This plan needs to be an active document within the facility management and be updated every five years.

Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPP)

We provide Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans that adhere to your state’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements.

Service Areas

Our service areas include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Washington (District of Columbia). Please feel free to call us for a site-specific price for your property.

What is a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP)?

A Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) is a document designed to identify sources of potential surface water pollutants that may be contaminated by surface run-off and are present on an impervious surface at an industrial facility, plans for processes and physical controls to mitigate or contain those sources, and inspection protocols to ensure that the processes and controls are implemented. Examples of potential pollutants that may be collected by surface run-off include: spills of hazardous materials, some spill residues and wash waters, dusts generated by manufacturing processes that have settled on the site, and other manufacturing byproducts.

What is the purpose of a SWPPP?

The SWPPP serves as a required component of a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) general permit that may be issued for a group of related industrial properties or a specific permit that may be issued for an industrial property.

What types of industrial facilities require a SWPPP and/or NPDES permit?

Common examples of active or inactive facilities that generally require a SWPPP and corresponding NPDES permit include:

• Heavy manufacturing facilities such as petroleum refineries, steel mills, paper mills, and chemical manufacturers
• Resource recovery facilities such as coal and mineral mines, or oil and gas drilling sites
• Hazardous waste stockpiling and treatment facilities
• Landfills and open dumps that receive industrial waste
• Scrap yards, auto salvage yards, and battery recycling facilities
• Steam-based electricity generation plants
• Transportation facilities where fleets of motor vehicles are maintained, or vehicle parts are cleaned or fabricated
• Municipal scale sewage treatment plants
• Light manufacturing facilities such as food and beverage processors, textile manufacturers, publishers, electronics manufacturers, and public storage facilities

What types of discharges do not require a SWPPP or NPDES?

A SWPPP or NPDES discharge permit generally does not apply to the following discharges:

• Condensate from air conditioners
• Drainage from regular irrigation activities
• Pavement wash waters that do not use detergent and originate from clean surfaces with no evidence of hazardous spills
• Wash waters from routine cleaning of the exterior of buildings

What is in a SWPPP?

A SWPPP includes six basic components:

1. Identification of the key personnel who will maintain your SWPPP– the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Team or Stormwater Management Team
2. An assessment of the potential stormwater run-off pollution that the activities at your site may produce
3. An evaluation of historical run-off issues at your site
4. Maps of your facility storm drainage design as well as indicating potential pollution sources, surface run-off directions, and potentially impacted surface water features that may be nearby
5. An inventory of control measures implemented at your site to mitigate the adverse effects of potential releases
6. A schedule and task list for routine and comprehensive inspections to ensure the pollution control measures for your site are properly implemented

What is the on-going commitment of a SWPPP or NPDES permit?

After a SWPPP is developed, the on-going commitment to the SWPPP is directed by a pollution prevention team consisting of as little as one on-site facility or maintenance manager who ensures that documented spills are addressed appropriately, inspects the facility quarterly for signs of undocumented spills, inspects the facility during a storm event at least annually to ensure that there are no signs of undocumented spills, directs quarterly sampling of run-off water to ensure compliance with applicable standards, completes an annual comprehensive inspection of the facility to ensure that the SWPPP has been fully implemented, and serves as the point-of-contact with regulatory agencies.

Are any exceptions to the inspection schedule, SWPPP, or NPDES permit allowed if my facility is inactive?

If your facility is unstaffed, inactive, and all potential pollutants are contained in storm-proofed structures, a NPDES permit, SWPPP, and comprehensive annual inspections are still required. Quarterly inspections are not required.

Industrial Stormwater General Permits in Georgia are administered by the Environmental Protection Division’s NonPoint Source Program. Additional information and documents to support these applications can be found through the Georgia Environmental Protection Division and the Untied States Environmental Protection Agency.