Frequently Asked Questions
About Water Pollution Control Regulations

 What is Ohio's antidegredation rule?

 How does Ohio EPA regulate storm water discharges?

Where does water come from before it gets to the tap?

Most people don't think about where the water they use comes from. They just turn on the tap and take it for granted that it will always be there when they need it. What many people don't realize is that their actions as business and home owners can affect the quality and cost of their community s water supply.

Where does your community get its water?

Communities obtain their water from either a surface water supply (lake, river or reservoir) or a ground water supply (aquifer). Ground water is the cleanest, most reliable and often the cheapest source of water for a community because it requires less treatment than surface water. If you don't know whether your community is getting its water from a surface or ground water source, you can contact your local public water supplier or Ohio EPA.

How many people depend on ground water in Ohio?

In Ohio about 40 percent of the population depends on ground water for drinking and household use. Almost 75 percent of the 1,600 community water systems rely on ground water for all or part of their water supply. Approximately 700,000 people who live in rural areas depend on private wells for their water supply.

One large community that relies on ground water is the City of Dayton, which serves 400,000 customers from wells that produce an average of 85 million gallons of water per day. The importance of protecting their water supply was highlighted in 1987 when a fire destroyed a paint warehouse located in their well field. The event served as a catalyst for the community to educate citizens and businesses about the importance of protecting their ground water resource. Dayton now has one of the most advanced ground water protection programs in the country.

Is contamination of ground water and surface water really a problem in Ohio?

Several communities in Ohio have experienced serious ground water contamination, which has forced them to spend over $1 million installing treatment systems to clean up contaminants. Although a portion of these costs may be reimbursed by the party causing the contamination, some costs have been passed on to consumers.

Surface water supplies can face potential contamination from various spills into rivers, lakes and reservoirs. In 1977, a chemical spill resulted in tetrachloride being released to the Ohio River. In January 1988, the rupture of a storage tank resulted in the release of one million gallons of fuel oil into the Monongahela River, which flows into the Ohio River. A large industrial fire in 1994 resulted in the detection of ethylene dibromide in the Ohio River. Because of such releases, extensive monitoring and communication stations have been set up along the Ohio River to provide communities with advance notice of spills that might contaminate their water supplies.

What Ohio EPA programs exist to protect our water supplies?

Ohio EPA has programs to protect water supply sources from contamination. These include the Wellhead Protection Program (for ground water sources) and the Watershed Management Program (for surface water sources). Both programs use similar approaches to protect water sources. The basic steps are:

1. identify the area where their water supply originates,
2. identify activities in that area that may potentially contaminate the water supply, and
3. develop management plans for those activities to prevent contamination of the water source from occurring.

What are some activities that may have an impact on water quality?

Businesses, including small operations, have the potential to contaminate a water source if wastes or chemicals are improperly managed on-site. Examples of activities that can contribute to ground water or surface water contamination include:

• dumping wastes (like solvent, oils, cleaning agents) on the ground
• putting waste in an unlined pond or pit
• stockpiling waste on-site in a pile
• spills and leaks of chemicals that are not cleaned up (transfer, unloading, storage areas)
• putting solvent contaminated rags or filters on the ground to evaporate
• storing materials in a leaking tank
• putting wastes down drainage pipes or into on-site sewer systems (septic tanks, leach beds)

What can a small business do to help protect its community s source of water?

1. Find out where your community obtains its water supply.
2. Find out if your community has initiated a "source water" protection program. Get involved in one of their committees. If your community has not initiated a program, contact Ohio EPA to get ideas on how to start one.
3. Conduct an assessment of the activities at your company that may have the potential to contaminate the water supply and make necessary corrections to prevent contamination.

Assessing your activities and taking measures to prevent contamination before it occurs is more cost effective than treating contamination.

Source:  Ohio EPA, Small Business Assistance Office newsletter, October 1996.

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With a goal of protecting human health and the aquatic environment, the revised antidegredation rule strengthens Ohio EPA's ability to protect our water resources from contamination.

Under the Clean Water Act, a business must obtain permits from Ohio EPA if it wants to discharge wastewater into "waters of the state," including streams, rivers, lakes, ditches and storm sewers that lead to streams. Wastewater permits are issued by Ohio EPA's Division of Surface Water (DSW). A permit (called a permit-to-install or PTI) is needed for the construction of wastewater treatment equipment. The permit to discharge is called a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit and may limit the pollutants that a business can discharge.

Under the revised antidegredation rule, businesses are required to take more responsibility in evaluating their proposed discharge activities. Businesses need to select the most sound alternative (considering environmental, social, economic and technical variables). Additional information that a business (or "applicant") may need to submit as part of its permit application includes a description of:

• contaminants to be discharged and any construction activities;
• systems/activities that can be carried out as an alternative to the discharge;
• economic, environmental or social benefits gained and/or lost through the project; and
• any local conservation projects addressing the improvement of water quality.

More opportunity for public participation in the permitting process is also a result of the revised rule. This may mean additional time for public review and comment on the permit application. In some cases, a public hearing on the permit application will be automatic.

The antidegradation rule also applies to other activities. Examples include Section 401 water quality certifications, permits to install for certain sewer systems, transfer of pollution from one water body to another and nonpoint source pollution.

How will the new regulations affect small businesses?

The new regulations may mean more stringent discharge limits and a more detailed technical demonstration as part of the permit application process. A business may need to hire a professional to help in gathering the technical information required by the application. The business will need to consider the public participation process and the additional time this may add to the total permitting process.

For a business that needs to go through the antidegredation process, early contact with the Division of Surface Water will help in getting the right information and guidance needed to submit complete permit applications. For more information on the new regulations contact Ohio EPA's Division of Surface Water at (614) 644-2001.

Source:  Ohio EPA, Small Business Assistance Office newsletter, Mary 1997.

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Many businesses have outside processes, storage units and/or material handling areas. Storm water contacting these areas can carry pollutants such as heavy metals, oils and solvents directly to a stream, ditch, lake or other surface water. In 1987 the Clean Water Act was amended to include requirements for controlling storm water discharges at industrial sites. Even a small business may be subject to Ohio EPA's storm water regulations. This article provides an overview of these regulations and where you can go for additional help.

Businesses that have certain Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes are subject to the storm water regulations. A complete list of these codes is available through Ohio EPA's Division of Surface Water. Some examples of manufacturing businesses subject to regulation include those involved with:

• lumber, wood and paper products;
• chemical manufacturing and petroleum products;
• stone, clay and glass products; and
• metal products.

Other businesses regulated under the storm water program include: mining operations, hazardous waste facilities, transportation facilities and recycling/salvage facilities. In addition, any business completing a construction project that disturbs five or more acres is required to comply with the storm water regulations.

Under the storm water regulations, businesses are required to obtain a permit and develop a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan ("SWPPP"). The permit is called a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System ("NPDES") permit and is issued through Ohio EPA's Division of Surface Water. In the Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan, the company must identify potential activities that may contaminate storm water. In addition, the plan must outline the practices that the company will use to help prevent the contamination and runoff of storm water into surface waters.

Some businesses can be exempt from the permitting requirements if they operate or make process changes to prevent storm water contamination (e.g., moving activities under a roof). Questions about exemptions from the permitting process can be discussed with Ohio EPA's Division of Surface Water staff.

For additional information on the storm water requirements, please contact the Division of Surface at (614) 644-2001. The Division of Surface Water has a complete list of SIC codes and other industry categories covered under the storm water program and guidance documents for developing a Storm water Pollution Prevention Plan.

Source:  Ohio EPA, Small Business Assistance Office newsletter, August 1997.

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