What do stormwater monitoring results mean?

Written By: Doug Ruhlin | Apr 22, 2014

Time to Read 6 Minutes





Learn what you need to know about your sample results and what to do with them next.

If I had a dollar for every time I heard this, I'd be rich. We get asked "what do my stormwater monitoring results mean?" all the time. Great question, because the answer is very, very important.

Simply put, your stormwater monitoring results will mean the difference between being in compliance, or being out of compliance and possible enforcement. A bad sample can lead to headaches and inconveniences at best, or fines and penalties at worst!

Since you don’t want to waste time or money by being out of compliance it’s important you understand one of the most basic environmental benchmarks out there today – stormwater monitoring results.

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What are stormwater monitoring results anyways?

Most NPDES stormwater permits require some form of stormwater sampling and testing. It might be once or twice per year, quarterly, or very rarely, monthly. There are usually some restrictions on when your sample can be taken, and certainly on where it can be taken

Normally, stormwater samples should be taken at designated outfall locations during a valid storm event, all depending on the specifications in your state's stormwater permit. And, you likely have to have your samples analyzed by a lab for common pollutants. After the lab analyzes your stormwater samples, you'll get your stormwater results.

But what do you do with stormwater results when you’ve received them back from the lab?

Stormwater Parameters - Limits vs. Benchmarks

Many NPDES stormwater permits utilize a concept called benchmarking when it comes to stormwater results. Benchmarks are very different from limits, which are enforceable. Benchmarks are target levels of pollutants that a facility should expect to be able to stay under provided they have properly implemented a program of effective stormwater BMPs. Exceed them, and you need to fine-tune your stormwater BMPs, depending on site-specific conditions. Due to the variable nature of stormwater runoff, that’s why benchmarks are usually used.

For the more controlled (and more polluted) discharges of wastewater or process wastewater, or even for stormwater entering certain waterbodies, results can be judged against limits. Part of the reasoning for this is that it is expected that the technological fixes used to treat process wastewater should be capable of delivering high-quality runoff, and you’ll be penalized if you don’t. Or, your discharging runoff into a highly sensitive area and your discharge require extra specific limitations set on them.

In other words, exceed a limit, and you’ll get in trouble. Exceed a benchmark, and you'll get in less trouble. We cover this more in-depth in our article Stormwater Sample Testing: Benchmarks vs. Limits.

What does YOUR stormwater permit say?

Your first step is to take a look at your NPDES stormwater permit, and determine your benchmarks or limits, and figure out what they are. Highlight them in the permit, post them on the wall, do whatever you need to do to get familiar with those numbers!

Whenever you get a stormwater sample, you should compare your results to the target values of your permit. If you exceeded those numbers, figure out why and what you can do to improve via your stormwater BMPs. If you are below the benchmarks you can rest easy. Keep doing what you're doing!

Track your stormwater monitoring results!

We usually advise those with stormwater permits to make a spreadsheet, chart their numbers, and enter all data by date along with the applicable benchmark values. That way, you can continually keep tabs on how you’re doing all year long. In some states, NPDES stormwater permits require reporting of benchmark exceedances along with a plan of attack on how you expect to stay below the level in the future via enhanced BMPs. The bottom line is to learn your regulations and do what's necessary to stay in compliance.

The only way you’re going to know where you stand and where you need to go relative to your NPDES stormwater permits is by digging into those stormwater results every time you get them, comparing them to your benchmark, and seeing what your next step is. Getting those results and just burying them in a file or your stormwater plan won’t help you at all and will leave you at the mercy of your environmental agency.

Need help with stormwater permit compliance?

For a lot of folks out there, stormwater permits, especially the sampling and long-term compliance with them, can be a pain to deal with. After all, you have a business to run! If you're overwhelmed, you're not alone. RMA has been actively involved in helping companies get and stay in compliance with stormwater permits across the United States since our founding in 1992.

If you're having any type of issue with NPDES permits and need the help of an environmental consulting firm with a proven track record, reach out. Even if we can't help, we’ll do our best to steer you in the right direction. Feel free to contact us at info@rmagreen.com, click here to contact us, or give us a call anytime at 888-RMA-0230 to learn how we can help your facility deal with stormwater permits and other environmental regulations.


Additional Stormwater Permit Information

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