Freer Consulting Blog: Compliance, Standards & Environmental InsightsThe Washington Department of Ecology has reissued the Construction Stormwater General Permit to take effect on January 1, 2021. The permit authorizes stormwater and approved non-stormwater discharges associated with construction activity. Permit coverage is required for the following: Ongoing construction sites that are covered under the existing permit Construction sites that disturb one

Freer Consulting Blog: Compliance, Standards & Environmental InsightsIn March of 2020, the EPA released its final proposed version of the Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP) that will replace the 2015 version currently in force. The MSGP authorizes stormwater discharges in areas where the EPA is the permitting authority, e.g., areas not covered by a state general permit. The comment period for

Freer Consulting Blog: Compliance, Standards & Environmental InsightsOver the past several years, regulatory authorities and nonprofits have increased their watch over stormwater compliance. Freer Consulting routinely monitors records for the state of Washington from the Region 10 office of the Environmental Protection Agency for Notices of Intent (NOI) to Sue under the Clean Water Act. In 2019, the EPA received

Freer Consulting Blog: Compliance, Standards & Environmental InsightsThis year, a new permit for Industrial Stormwater General Permit (ISGP) for the state of Washington went into effect. Now is a great time to look at how permit holders in King County did over the 2015-2019 period regarding stormwater violations. Data was collected from the Department of Ecology looking at all industrial

Freer Consulting Blog: Compliance, Standards & Environmental InsightsIn this time of social distancing due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s challenging to comply with regulatory requirements due to disruptions in business operations or lowered staff availability. Despite these challenges, there isn’t a legal mechanism that relieves businesses of their duty of regulatory compliance. The pandemic and efforts to fight it continue,

Freer Consulting Blog: Compliance, Standards & Environmental InsightsThe new Industrial Stormwater General Permit (ISGP) for the state of Washington went into effect on January 1, 2020 and contains many changes from the 2015 permit that affect both current permittees and businesses that were previously not covered by the permit. Major changes include: When applying for coverage, applicants must identify their