Storm Water Discharges from Industrial Facilities: Am I Regulated?

If you discharge storm water associated with an industrial activity into one of the following:

• gutters, streets, channels, ditches or other storm water conveyances that are part of a municipal separate storm water sewer system (MS4),

• or surface water in the state

And your business activity fits into one of the regulated industrial sectors, meaning that your industrial activity fits under one or more of the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Codes or Industrial Activity Codes to be found in "SIC Codes Subject to TPDES Multi-Sector General Permit," (Help with PDF.)

Then you will be required to obtain coverage under General Permit TXR050000.

• If all industrial activities and materials are isolated from rain, snow, snowmelt, and/or runoff by storm resistant shelters, you may be eligible for a conditional no exposure exclusion from permitting requirements.

• Otherwise, the general permit requires you to obtain coverage, which includes submitting a notice of intent (NOI) form.

If you only have a NAICS code and no SIC code that describes your industrial activity, then it will be necessary to convert the NAICS code to an SIC code to determine if coverage under this permit applies to your facility.

If you don't qualify for coverage under this general permit, you may need to obtain an individual permit for any discharges to water in the state.

If you conduct an activity related to oil and gas (See Texas Railroad Commission), then you may need to obtain coverage under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Storm Water Discharges Associated with Industrial Activities.

Contact us if you have questions regarding TXR050000.