Operators of sites covered under the Construction General Permit (CGP) that discharge dewatering water to sensitive receiving waters are required to submit reports of their weekly average turbidity benchmark monitoring data to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) no later than 30 days following the end of each monitoring quarter. If there is a monitoring week(s) or an entire monitoring quarter during which no dewatering discharge occurred, this must be indicated in the report.
Additionally, if another operator associated with the site is conducting turbidity monitoring, that must also be indicated on the report.
The following monitoring quarters and reporting deadlines for turbidity benchmark monitoring reports apply:
- Quarter 1: January 1–March 31, reporting deadline of April 30
- Quarter 2: April 1–June 30, reporting deadline of July 30
- Quarter 3: July 1–September 30, reporting deadline of October 30
- Quarter 4: October 1–December 1, reporting deadline of January 30
Operators must use the EPA’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) eReporting Tool (NeT) to electronically submit quarterly turbidity data, unless a waiver from electronic reporting is granted from the applicable EPA Regional Office that permits submission of paper forms.
In addition, the CGP requires operators to complete and submit an inspection report within 24 hours of completing a site inspection.
Each inspection report (except for dewatering inspection reports, which require certain specific information) must include the following information:
- The inspection date.
- Names and titles of personnel making the inspection.
- A summary of inspection findings.
- If site inspections are being conducted once every 14 calendar days and within 24 hours of the occurrence of a qualifying storm event (producing 0.25 inches (in.) or more of rain or 3.25 in. or more of snow within a 24-hour period) or at an increased or a reduced frequency as applicable under certain conditions, the report must include the applicable rain gauge readings, snowfall measurements, and/or weather station information that triggered the inspection.
- If an inspector determines it to be unsafe to inspect any portion of a site for a given inspection, the reason it was found to be unsafe and the specific location(s) in which the condition applies must be indicated in the inspection report.
All inspection reports must be kept at the site or at an easily accessible location so that they can be made available at the time of an on-site inspection or on request by the EPA. Noncompliance reporting is also required.
For more information about specific reporting requirements, see the CGP.
Governing laws and regulations: