The Federal Water Pollution Control Act, more commonly called the Clean Water Act, prohibits the discharge of pollutants from a point source to waters of the United States without a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. In 1990 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) specifically applied the NPDES permit requirement to stormwater discharges from 11 industrial sectors. The EPA has delegated permitting authority to most states, thus EPA only issues NPDES permits in states that do not have authority to administer the NPDES program (Idaho, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New Mexico). EPA regulates industrial stormwater discharges under its Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP).
This information is not intended to substitute for professional legal advice.