Stormwater Discharges from Industrial Facilities: Am I Regulated?

What is the Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP)?

TCEQ’s Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES) program regulates stormwater runoff from manufacturing, processing, material storage, and waste material disposal areas of industrial activities. The MSGP covers industrial facilities in 29 different industrial sectors.

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Am I Regulated?

If you discharge stormwater associated with an industrial activity into one of the following:

• gutters, streets, channels, ditches or other stormwater conveyances that are part of a municipal separate storm water sewer system (MS4),

• or any stormwater conveyance system that may drain to surface water in the state

And your business activity fits into one of the regulated industrial sectors, meaning that your industrial activity fits under one or more of the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Codes or Industrial Activity Codes to be found in " SIC Codes Subject to TPDES Multi-Sector General Permit " (Help with PDF.)

• If you only have a North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code and do not know the SIC code that describes your industrial activity, then it will be necessary to determine if coverage under this permit applies to your facility. Refer to Part II of the general permit to determine the appropriate conversion.

Then you will be required to obtain coverage under the MSGP, TXR050000 .

• If all industrial activities and materials are isolated from rain, snow, snowmelt, and/or runoff by storm resistant shelters, you may be eligible for a conditional no exposure exclusion from permitting requirements.

• Otherwise, the general permit requires you to obtain coverage, which includes submitting a notice of intent (NOI) form.

If you don't qualify for coverage under this general permit, you may need to obtain an individual permit for any discharges to water in the state.

If you conduct an activity related to oil and gas, you may need to obtain coverage under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Stormwater Discharges Associated with Industrial Activities until TCEQ’s MSGP is amended to include coverage for oil and gas activities.

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I Need Permit Coverage. Where do I begin?

Learn how to obtain authorization under the MSGP to discharge stormwater from an industrial facility and how to comply with the permit through annual fees and monitoring, or when changing operators or terminating discharges.

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Contact us if you have questions regarding general permit TXR050000.