The Education Center

Here's how to do a stormwater visual inspection.

Nearly every NPDES stormwater discharge permit in the United States, from the Federal Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP) to state MSGPs and other state-specific stormwater discharge permits, a very common requirement in many of them is that permit holders (that means you) conduct "visual monitoring" of their stormwater discharges.

Learn why you need a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment.

When it comes to Phase I's, we get a similar question over and over again - who needs a Phase I ESA? Do I NEED a Phase I? The issue is most people don't have much experience dealing with Phase I's, and the people who are asking them to get one, like a bank, the Federal Housing Administration, other government agency, or other lending institution, usually have pretty terrible information for their own customers.

Fortunately, the answer is usually pretty cut and dry, regardless of your situation, what you're looking to purchase or refinance, or where you're located. So let's dive in and figure out who needs a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment.

Learn why the right water testing lab for stormwater or process waste water matters!

In today's age, running a business comes with a lot of responsibilities. One thing we see tightening up more and more, whether it's pressure from 3rd party environmental groups or government regulators, is your environmental responsibilities. Just about anyone across this country that owns or operates any type of industrial facility has probably heard of NPDES stormwater permits. If you haven’t heard of them, read What are NPDES stormwater permits?

Learn the difference between stormwater and process waste water.

When it comes to NPDES permits, whether you're in New Jersey, Florida, Hawaii, you name it, there's a huge difference with regards to stormwater and process water. Most, if not all, NPDES permits have very strict and specific regulations for stormwater and process water.

Will a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment include a certificate upon completion?

The Phase I ESA process is often foreign to people. Many of our customers have never purchased a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, or they're not totally familiar with the process, what's included, what's involved, and often have other concerns.

This is a pretty common problem since the Phase I standards cost money to purchase from ASTM (you can buy them here), they're tough to get through unless you know what you're reading, and most other consultants like to dance around the ins & outs of Phase I's.

Starting a recycling business in New Jersey sounds like a great idea. After all, you're starting a new business, hiring employees, paying taxes, and doing something good for the environment!

But since this is New Jersey, you're also probably aware that you'll need some form of permit or approval from the NJDEP (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection) to operate that recycling business. As you can imagine, it can be very confusing what type of permit or approval you'll need when it comes to opening a recycling center.

No Discharge on a DMR? Learn if you're putting yourself at risk.

Having a NPDES stormwater permit means having responsibilities, such as doing your regular stormwater sample reporting, usually via a Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR), which can be a very intimidating task. Particularly, now that electronic reporting is a requirement and is being implemented almost everywhere in the US.

The entire DMR process is now confusing, complicated, poorly functioning, full of "codes" and more headaches. So what should you do if you don't get a stormwater sample? If you're tempted to enter "NODI" or "no discharge" on that DMR, you should think twice.