Environmental Questions & Answers

Learn why the right water testing lab for stormwater or process wastewater 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.

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

Having an 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.

Learn what you can and can't discharge with an NPDES stormwater permit.

Many of our clients are covered by some sort of NPDES permit at their facility. Throughout the years we've heard from them, and others from all over the US that the language in their permit is confusing, or that regulators have given conflicting or incorrect information, so they turn to us for help. It makes sense since NPDES stormwater permits can be weighed down in regulatory language that often comes across as gibberish. Some states have a specific permit for specific industries, some state's permits are easy to handle, while other permits are downright archaic and confusing.

We cover how to put together an effective pH kit for stormwater sampling for under $300.

If you're up to speed on your NPDES stormwater permit, stay ahead of required annual stormwater training, and have a basic competency of technology and your permit, you can easily take the pH of your stormwater sample from a relatively inexpensive pH kit. This is great news for businesses with smaller budgets or folks without close access to a certified lab.

Learn when you can use melting snow, or snowmelt, as a stormwater sample.

Living in New Jersey, I've gotten used to cold winters. Snow, nor'easters, the sun setting early, you name it. It's just a fact of life living here in the North East. One thing that rings true for my clients here in New Jersey, over in Pennsylvania, up in New York, and all throughout the region is that when it gets cold out, certain aspects of the business change.

One thing that many clients have to deal with is frozen water, which can be an issue when it comes to dealing with NPDES stormwater permits. Pipes get clogged with ice, the ground gets covered in snow, and life under your stormwater permit can get pretty tricky.

We cover tips on taking stormwater samples for facilities covered under the PAG-03 stormwater permit.

I'm sure by now you know there's a new PAG-03 stormwater permit in Pennsylvania. Many people are already ahead of the game and have gotten to where they need to be paperwork wise, but we're finding that some folks aren't entirely sure what to do about the new stormwater sampling requirements.