Stormwater-General: What you need to know

Clean Water Act (CWA), 33 USC 1251 to 1387 and regulations at 40 CFR 122 and 40 CFR 124

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES): 33 USC 1342

NPDES permit application regulations for stormwater discharges (Phase I final rule): 55 Federal Register (FR) 47990 (11/16/90)

Phase II stormwater rule: 64 FR 68722 (12/8/1999)

Permit applications and conditions:

Endangered Species Act (ESA): 16 USC 1531 to 1544

Feedlots: 40 CFR 412

Oil Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) requirements: 40 CFR 112

Total maximum daily loads (TMDLs): 33 USC 1313

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Wastewater Management

EPA regional offices

See ADDRESSES & CONTACTS for addresses and telephone numbers.

Stormwater runoff is generated when precipitation from rain and snowmelt events flows over land or impervious surfaces and does not percolate into the ground. Such runoff accumulates debris, chemicals, sediment, and other pollutants and is a major source of pollution that damages rivers, lakes, streams, and coastal waters of the United States. To address this problem, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed a federal program under the Clean Water Act's (CWA) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program to regulate stormwater discharge sources. The CWA prohibits any person from discharging pollutants into a waterway from a point source unless a permit issued either by the EPA or an authorized state agency authorizes the discharge. For general information regarding the NPDES permitting program and to review the state NPDES permitting program delegation table to determine the status ...