Developing and writing storm water pollution prevention plans is an important part of construction activity. Depending on what state that you are located in, storm water pollution prevent plans or SWPPP may be a part of a construction general permit. You may need to check with your local state laws, and cities laws about SWPPP before you start writing your storm water pollution prevent plan.

The person who is required to write a storm water pollution prevent plan in most states is anyone who is in charge of operating an industrial facility. The SWPPP must be in compliance with the Environment Protection Agency of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.  This will depend on your state and the type of industrial work that is being done.

Since each state has a slightly different construction general permit, the information is as general as it can be. If you need more specific information since you are an owner or operator of an industrial facility, there is information on the construction general permit about your States’ SWPPP requirements. You will need to make any adjustments to the SWPPP to meet the SWPPP requirements for your state, or your construction general permit will be denied.

Who Is The Operator?

Knowing, who the correct person for writing an SWPPP and applying for a construction general permit can be hard to identify, as the definition of an operator varies from state to state. Depending on your state, an operator is usually defined as the person who has operational control of the construction activity, or as the person who has day-to-day operational control of the activities that have to comply with any and all permits.

In most cases, the operator is the owner. However, there can be more than one operator on site, as the owner falls into the definitions above. In the case of an owner that does not have operational control, the operator who has the most control is responsible to obtain any and all permits, and make sure that their work is complying with the permits.

Summary

Nearly all construction sites will need to write a SWPPP on the construction general permit form. The person who is required to write the SWPPP is the main operator of the site. In most cases, this is the owner, but it can be another person if the owner does not have any operational controls. A construction general permit is very commonly used since it covers many construction facilities, especially if they fall within a similar group of activities. Even if you use a construction permit for one location, you will need to have a SWPPP when filing for the permit.