The MPCA administers four National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) / State Disposal System (SDS) pesticide general permits that regulate the use of pesticides in and around lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands.
Entities that exceed a discharge threshold are required to submit an application for permit coverage — known as a notice of intent (NOI) — and pay an application fee. Those that do not exceed the threshold are not required to submit an NOI or an application fee, but are automatically covered by the permit and must comply with basic permit requirements.
Aquatic Plant Management permit holders
The Aquatic Plant Management (APM) program administered by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is sufficient to control the discharge of pesticides to meet the conditions of the Clean Water Act and the MPCA’s NPDES/SDS Pesticide General Permit. Therefore, APM permit holders do not need to submit an NOI or a permit fee, regardless of size of the activity. The aquatic nuisance animal pest control (MNG87C000) and the vegetative pests and algae control general permits (MNG87D000) are modified to accommodate APM permitees. The MPCA and DNR finalized an interagency agreement so permitee information can be shared between agencies. Please contact the staff listed at the bottom of this page with questions or for more details.
For more information, you can also review the letter below that was sent to potential APM permit holders.
Pesticide NPDES permit steps to compliance
Steps to compliance will help you decide if the permit affects you, learn what your responsibilities are, and show you what records to keep. Click on each step page at left to find out more.
Resources
- American Mosquito Control Association Integrated Pest Management
- EPA National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) - Pesticide Permitting
- EPA Agriculture - Office of Water
- EPA Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)
Minnesota-based resources