Stormwater Program for Industrial Activity: Steps to Compliance

Step 11: Evaluate and submit sampling results

Step 11a: Unable to collect a sample during your monitoring interval?

Submit a Stormwater Monitoring Report (SWMR) form for the monitoring period you were unable to collect a sample.  Provide an explanation in the "If NO flow occurred during monitoring period, explain why" section and mail the form to the MPCA.

Collect two samples during the next sampling interval. Samples may be taken at any time during an interval, except that precipitation events need to be at least 72 hours apart.

Two SMWRs are required to be submitted during the “substitute sample interval” even if you are unable to collect two samples during that interval.

If you are unable to collect any samples or only able to collect one sample when two are required, the “substitute sample” carries forward to the next interval.

Step 11b: View an example facility's "Year 2 benchmark monitoring intervals" and possible “no flow” scenarios

Example: Facility A received permit coverage on August 5, 2010 and has no effluent monitoring requirements. The first benchmark sampling interval begins on August 5, 2011. For Facility A, their monitoring intervals are:

• Monitoring Interval 1: August 5-November 4, 2011  (SWMR due no later than December 21, 2011)
• Monitoring Interval 2: November 5, 2011-February 4, 2012  (SWMR due no later than March 21, 2012)
• Monitoring Interval 3: February 5, 2012- May 4, 2012 (SWMR due no later than June 21, 2012)
• Monitoring Interval 4: May 5, 2012-August 4, 2012 (SWMR due no later than September 21, 2012)

Scenario 1:  No flow for monitoring interval 1, submitted one SWMR with “no flow” explanation.  Collected two samples during monitoring interval 2, submitted two SWMRS.  Will collect a sample for monitoring interval 3 and 4 and submit results with one SWMR each.

Scenario 2: No flow for monitoring intervals 1 and 2.  Submitted SWMR with “no flow” explanation in monitoring interval 1 and submitted two SWMRs with “no flow” explanations in monitoring interval 2, once the monitoring interval ended.  Will attempt to collect two samples monitoring interval 3 (submitting two SWMRs) and will collect one sample during monitoring interval 4, submitting one SWMR.

Scenario 3: No flow for monitoring intervals 1-3.  Submitted SWMR with “no flow” explanation in monitoring interval 1 and two SWMRs with “no flow” explanations in monitoring intervals 2 and 3.  Will collect two samples in monitoring interval 4 and will submit two SWMRs.

Notes:

• There is no "year 3 monitoring."
• You do not need to submit anything else, such as lab results, with the SWMR. Only provide the information the form asks for on the SWMR and mail it to the address printed on the SWMR.
• For any interval where two samples are required, two SWMRs are required, regardless if you are able to collect stormwater samples.

Step 11c: Download Your Stormwater Monitoring Report Forms Here!

Industrial Stormwater Permit Information Access

Important Note: No monitoring forms will be mailed to permittees except by request. 

Consultants, watershed districts, municipalities, and interested parties will be able to view and download: 

• A list of all permittees and No Exposure Certifiers
• Information by industrial sector, city/county, facility name and/or facility owner name, etc.

View:

• Application information
• Facility's personalized monitoring calendar for the permit cycle
• Monitoring data (by facility, region, etc)

Access:

• Monitoring forms
• Stormwater Monitoring Report (SWMR) for benchmark monitoring
• Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) for effluent monitoring
• Waiver Forms

Step 11d: Read these tips for downloading and filling out the monitoring report forms

• Less is more: enter less information to find the facility you're looking for. Better yet, search by Facility ID number if you know it.
• Not sure of the facility name? Enter just a few letters of the facility name to populate a list.
• No discharges leaving the facility boundary? Submitting the monitoring report form is still required. Write an explanation within the "If NO flow occurred during monitoring period, explain why" section of the monitoring report form. The Permittee is then required to collect a substitute sample during the next sampling interval. Samples may be taken at any time during an interval, except that sampling events shall be at least 72 hours apart.
• Note: Most lab results are reported in mg/L, which is what is required on the SWMR, but sometimes the results might be in different units. Double-check what units are recorded on the lab report and convert to mg/L if necessary.  See page 31 of the Permit on how to submit an amended SWMR.

Step 11e: Find out what you have to sample for

Not sure of when you have to monitor or what you have to monitor for? Follow these steps:

1. Type in the facility ID number or facility name. Click on the "search" Button.
2. Once the results have loaded, click on that ID number in the lower left to view the "Facility Information Menu."
3. Click on "Monitoring Calendar/Stormwater Monitoring Report (SWMR)" to view your monitoring calendar and download the monitoring report forms.

Some facilities may have two Monitoring Calendars for two different sets of monitoring requirements:

• Benchmark Monitoring Calendar
• Effluent Monitoring Calendar

Be sure to scroll down to the very bottom of the page to see if Effluent Monitoring is applicable to you (4% of permittees). This is a once-per-year every year of the permit cycle requirement for subsectors within:

• Sector A: Discharges from wet decking storage areas
• Sector C: Runoff from phosphate fertilizer manufacturing facilities that comes into contact with any raw materials, finished product, by-products or waste products (SIC 2874)
• Sector D: Runoff from asphalt emulsion facilities
• Sector E: Runoff from material storage piles at cement manufacturing facilities (NOT Ready-Mix facilities!)
• Sector J: Mine dewatering discharges at construction sand and gravel, or industrial sand mining facilities
• Sector K: Runoff from hazardous waste landfills See Sector K
• Sector L: Runoff from non-hazardous waste landfills See Sector L
• Sector O: Runoff from coal storage piles at steam electric generating facilities

There are different monitoring report forms for these Permittees; they must fill out the Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) for effluent monitoring results.

Step 11f: Waivers

There are various types of monitoring waivers that a Permittee may use, either to explain exceedances or to get out of monitoring requirements altogether. The waiver forms are available through the Industrial Stormwater Multi-Sector General Permit Electronic Information Access search tool.

General Benchmark Monitoring Waiver

Permittees are not required to conduct benchmark monitoring if the Permittee documents in the facility’s SWPPP, and the appropriate sections of a Stormwater Monitoring Report submitted to the Agency that one or more of the following options is being met at the facility or a portion of the facility:

• Infiltration BMPs have been designed, constructed, and operated in accordance with Appendix C of the permit
• Pond BMPs have been designed, constructed, and operated in accordance with Appendix C of the permit

Run-On Demonstration Waiver

If the average concentration of any benchmark parameter sampled over the course of a sampling year shows that a benchmark value has been exceeded and the Permittee believes that drainage onto the site from run-on has contributed to or caused the benchmark value exceedance, the Permittee can discontinue monitoring for that pollutant parameter if terms and conditions of the run-on demonstration waver are met. To qualify for the waiver, the Permittee must conduct the following activities to complete the demonstration:

1. Sample the run-on prior to co-mingling with other stormwater discharges, and analyze the run-on against the pollutant parameter for which the benchmark value was exceeded.
2. Include with the SWPPP a run-on demonstration narrative that explains the nature of the run-on, a description of the neighboring property and activities, dates and lab results of the samples taken for comparison purposes, a statement that the Permittee has assessed and assured the run-on is directly affecting the specific benchmark monitoring location for which a benchmark value has been exceeded, efforts taken by the Permittee to divert/minimize run-on to the facility and other relevant information that supports the Permittee’s use of this waiver.
3. Complete the appropriate sections of a Stormwater Monitoring Report and submit it to the Agency
4. Address the use of this waiver in Annual Report submittals.

Natural Background Pollutant Waiver

If the average concentration of a benchmark parameter exceeds a benchmark value, and the Permittee demonstrates that the exceedance of the benchmark value is attributed to the presence of that pollutant in the natural background, the Permittee is not required to perform corrective actions or additional benchmark monitoring of that benchmark parameter provided that:

1. The Permittee demonstrates that the average of all samples taken of a specific benchmark parameter of the natural background is contributing to and causing the benchmark value exceedance at the benchmark monitoring location.
2. The Permittee documents and maintains with the SWPPP the supporting rationale for concluding the benchmark value exceedance are attributable to natural background pollutant levels. The Permittee shall include with the supporting rationale any previously collected data that describes the levels of natural background pollutants in the industrial facility stormwater discharge.
3. The Permittee submits notification to the Agency by completing the appropriate sections of a Stormwater Monitoring Report that the benchmark value exceedance are attributable to natural background pollutant levels. In addition, the Permittee shall address the use of this waiver in Annual Report submittals.

Covered Area Certification Form:

If you have some of your materials and activities under cover or indoors, and want to not have to monitor those areas, please contact Melissa Wenzel, 651-757-2816 to obtain the "Covered Area Certification Form."

Year 2 is over:

Approximately 70 calendar days after your final SWMR is due to the MPCA, your “Monitoring Calendar” will be updated to let you know if you have to sample within “year 4” or not.  You can average the results to find this information out, too.

Exceedences:

If you have an exceedance for one or more pollutant parameters for your yearly average, you will have “year 3” to make BMP changes and sample for another year in “year 4.”  Visit Step 12: Modify/add new BMPs for suggestions on different BMPs based on pollutant, sector or both.

Go to Step 12