Overview of Regulations for Water

Quality Protection in South Carolina

Federal Clean Water Act/ NPDES

Storm Water Program
South Carolina Pollution Control Act
South Carolina Storm Water
Management and Sediment
Reduction Act
South Carolina Coastal Zone
Regulations
South Carolina Anti-Degradation
Rules
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 NPDES Storm Water Program

National Pollutant Discharge

Elimination System (NPDES)
program
Construction General Permit
(CGP)
Municipal Separate Storm Sewer
Systems (MS4)
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Construction Site Requirements

Who must obtain Construction General

Permit (CGP) coverage?

NPDES Coverage:
All land disturbing activities > 1 acre
Any size within 1/2 mile of a receiving water
body in the S.C. Coastal Zone.

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 Construction Site Requirements

CGP Requirements:
Develop and implement
Storm Water Pollution
Prevention Plan (SWPPP).
Select, install, implement and
maintain best management
practices (BMPs).
SWPPP must be signed and
retained on site.

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 New NPDES Phase II
Construction General Permit (CGP)

Issued February of 2005; appealed

Appeal settled in late 2005
Effective date of new Phase II CGP
expected in Spring 2006
Existing or ongoing permitted projects
will be grandfathered under old
regulations and not have to meet Phase
II CGP requirements

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 Phase II NPDES CGP Requirements
(Pre-Construction Meeting)

Requires pre-construction meetings onsite

(unless justified and approved by DHEC to be
offsite) for non-linear projects that disturb 10
acres or more
Linear projects can conduct meeting offsite
Purpose: Explain the whole SWPPP to the co-
permittees and contractors

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 Phase II NPDES CGP Requirements
(Contractor Certification)

All co-permittees must sign a

certification statement that they are
responsible for operational control of
the SWPPP and have participated in
a pre-construction conference
Utilities are not exempt

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 Phase II NPDES CGP Requirements
(Inspection Frequency)

Inspections must be conducted:

(A) At least once every 7 calendar
days, or
(B) At least once every 14 calendar
days and within 24 hours of the end
of a storm event of 0.5 inches or
greater

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 Phase II NPDES CGP
Requirements
(Inspector Qualifications)

Inspections must be conducted by

qualified personnel provided by the
operator or cooperatively by multiple
operators
Examples of qualified personnel are
the preparer of the SWPPP or
individuals certified by a DHEC
approved course
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 Phase II NPDES CGP Requirements
(Monthly Reports)

For projects disturbing 10 acres or more,

copies of a monthly report or the inspection
forms (if they include specified information)
must be submitted
In lieu of submitting monthly reports, the
reports may be stored electronically in a
manner (i.e. a dedicated website) that DHEC
personnel have unlimited access to

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Federal NPDES Stormwater Program

NPDES Construction General

Permit (CGP)
NPDES Municipal Separate

Storm Sewer System (MS4)

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MS4 NPDES Ph. II Permit Status

MS4 Ph. II Permit was issued in October of

2003 and was subsequently appealed.
The appeal was settled on December 28,
2005.
The new effective date for the MS4 permit is
March 1, 2006.

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 MS4 NPDES Phase II Program

Applies to all counties and municipalities

that operate a storm water sewer system
within an urbanized area
An urbanized area is one in which the
combined population of a county and an
adjoining or neighboring city is over
50,000
Urbanized areas can extend over
county lines

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 Phase II MS4s in S.C. Coastal
Zone
Berkeley Goose N. Conway Surfside
Co. Creek Charleston Beach

Charlesto Hanahan Sullivans Georgeto

n Island wn Co.

Charlesto Isle of Summervill Horry Co.

n Co. Palms e
Dorcheste Lincolnvil Atlantic Myrtle
r Co. le Beach Beach
Folly Mt. Briarcliffe N. Myrtle
Beach Pleasant Acres Beach

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 MS4 NPDES Ph. II Application
Requirements

Storm sewer system map showing all outfalls.

BMPs selected for each of the 6 Minimum
Elements of the MS4 Program.
Measurable goals for each Minimum Element.
The person(s) responsible for implementation.
An estimate of the area, in square miles,
served by the MS4.

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 MS4 NPDES Ph. II Six Minimum
Elements

Public Education and Outreach

Public Involvement/Participation
Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control
Post-Construction Site Stormwater Runoff
Control
Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination
Pollution Prevention/Good House Keeping at
MS4 Owned Facilities/Operations

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 MS4 NPDES Ph. II Public
Education and Outreach

Must implement public education by

distributing education materials or outreach
activities about the impacts and ways to
reduce pollution from stormwater runoff.
Stormwater Education Clearinghouse Web
Site,
http://www.scdhec.net/water/ms4/index.htm
l

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 MS4 NPDES Ph. II Public
Involvement/Participation

Must comply with State and local public

notice requirements when implementing a
public involvement/participation program.
Describe how the MS4 involved the public
in the development and submittal of the
stormwater management program.

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MS4 NPDES Ph. II Construction Site
Stormwater Runoff Control

Must develop, implement, and enforce a

program to reduce pollutants in any
stormwater runoff to the MS4 from
construction activities that result in a land
disturbance of greater than one (1) acre.
Must implement a local construction site
stormwater control program in the entire
MS4 area on or before Sept. 1, 2007.

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MS4 NPDES Ph. II Post-Construction
Stormwater Management
Must develop, implement and enforce a
program to address stormwater runoff from
new development and redevelopment
projects that disturb greater than one (1)
acre that discharge into the MS4.
Must implement the local post-construction
stormwater management program in the
entire MS4 area on or before Sept. 1, 2007.

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MS4 NPDES Ph. II Illicit Discharge
Detection and Elimination

Develop, implement and enforce a

program to detect and eliminate illicit
discharges.
Develop a storm sewer system map,
showing the location of all outfalls and the
names and location of all waters of the
State that receive discharges from those
outfalls.

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 MS4 NPDES Ph. II
Pollution/Good Housekeeping

Develop and implement an operation and

maintenance program that includes a
training component and has the ultimate
goal of preventing or reducing pollutant
runoff from county/municipal operations.

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Questions?

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