This document outlines 10 water compliance issues from an EPA conference on water regulations. The issues include stormwater management, understanding draft and final discharge permits, ensuring adequate facility resources and recordkeeping, conducting inspections, meeting reporting requirements, proper sampling techniques, effective communication, and planning for changes. The EPA has identified keeping raw sewage and contaminated runoff out of water and preventing animal waste pollution as national enforcement initiatives for 2014-2016.

1. Water: Ten Water Compliance Issues
Mid-America Environmental Compliance
Conference
April 2, 2014

2. EPA National Enforcement Initiatives
FY2014-2016
• “Keep Raw Sewage and Contaminated
Stormwater Out of Our Nations Waters”
• “Preventing Animal Waste from
Contaminating Surface and Groundwater”

3. Water: Ten Water Compliance Issues
#1 – Stormwater
• Sample Collection/Analytical Parameters/Flow
–Preparation
• Containers, Hold Times, CoC, Method
• Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP)
–Install Best Management Practices (BMPs)
–Inspect BMPs
–Assess effectiveness/benchmarks
• Inspection Logs, Updates, and Training

4. Water: Ten Water Compliance Issues
#2 – “The Draft Permit”
• Understand the Draft Permit
– Read All of the Draft Permit including the
Standard Conditions, Fact Sheet, etc.
– Evaluate the impact
• Effluent limits
• Schedules of compliance
• Sampling parameters, and monitoring
frequency
• Does the Permit “Make Sense” for my Facility
• Comment/Feedback to the Agency on the Draft

5. Water: Ten Water Compliance Issues
#3 – “The Final Permit”
• Conditions (“Read ‘em again)
• Schedule of Compliance
–Interim Reporting on Progress
• Effluent Limits
–Outfall
• Stormwater
–Sampling Frequency, Type (grab, composite)

6. Water: Ten Water Compliance Issues
#3 – “The Final Permit”
• Sampling Parameters
–Metals, Conventional Pollutants
–Whole Effluent Toxicity (acute/chronic)
• Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan
(SWPPP)
–Inspections, Best Management Practices
(BMP), Modification
• Reporting

7. Water: Ten Water Compliance Issues
#4 – Resources
• Adequate Infrastructure
–Asset Assessment (lifecycle, replacement
cost, inflation)
– Replacement – Regular/Systematic/Planned
• Operation & Maintenance
–Regular/Systematic/Planned
• Training

8. Water: Ten Water Compliance Issues
#5 – Recordkeeping
• What’s required?
–Permit, Regulations, Guidance
–How Long? Where?
• Operating Record
–Bypass/Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO)
–Facility Inspections
• SWPPP
–Organized, Accessible, Up-to-Date

9. Water: Ten Water Compliance Issues
#6 – Facility Inspections (…no not the regulators)
• Scheduled/Routine
–SWPPP (e.g. Quarterly, Annually)
–Equipment
–Sampling
• Document Deficiencies/Return to Compliance
–Checks and Balance (use different staff)
–Tracking
–Records Accessible

10. Water: Ten Water Compliance Issues
#7 – Reporting
• Bypasses (unplanned)/SSOs
–Timeframes/Information
• Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs)
–Sampling/Measurement Frequency
–Reporting Frequency
(e.g.monthly/quarterly)
–Concentration vs. Mass
• Sampling at the Outfall (Report All Results)

11. Water: Ten Water Compliance Issues
#8 – Sampling
• Analytical Methods
– Detection Limits vs. Effluent Limits
– Hold Times, Sample Volumes
• Sampling Equipment
– Sample bottles, kits, chain of custody
– Coordinate with Lab
• Quality Assurance/Quality Control
• Stormwater – Challenging Conditions, Sample
Techniques, Flow Determinations

12. Water: Ten Water Compliance Issues
#9 – Communication
• Avoid “The Cover-Up” Mindset
• Don’t Just Communicate “The Bad Stuff”
• Routine/Regular
–Conferences are a good platform for
establishing dialogue
• Effective/Accurate – “NOT ALARMING”
• Neighbors

13. Water: Ten Water Compliance Issues
#10 – Failure to Plan
• New Regulations
• New Sources/New Processes/New Industries
(e.g. products, technologies)
• Flow Increases
• Permitting Additional Loading -
Antidegradation

14. Questions, Thanks & Contact Info
Rob Morrison, P.E.
Barr Engineering Co.
1001 Diamond Ridge, Suite 1100
Jefferson City, MO
573-638-5025
rmorrison@barr.com