Industrial Pollutants

As rain or snow falls on impervious (paved or hard) surfaces that have been impacted by industrial operations, the snow melts or rainwater becomes stormwater, picking up the pollutants and transporting them downstream. In many countries around the world, including the United States, regulations protect receiving waters from impairments caused by these pollutants.

The industrial sector and industrial NPDES stormwater permits require facility operators to utilize best management practices (BMPs) including stormwater treatment to reduce or eliminate pollutant discharges in stormwater. Isolating the various pollutants and understanding how they behave in the stormwater environment is the first step toward preventing their discharge from your site. Below is information that you might find helpful about some common industrial stormwater pollutants, how they impact the environment, and how they can be removed from stormwater.