When: March 6-7, 2000
Where: University of Hawaii, East West Center, Asia
Room
1777 East West Road
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Cost: FREE for HDOT and County, $125 for private
industry personnel
Contact: Hawaii LTAP at 956-9006, 956-8851 FAX or juli@wiliki.eng.hawaii.edu
DESCRIPTION:
Departments of Transportation face several unique challenges in complying
with the National Storm Water program.
DOT CONSTRUCTION OPERATIONS
State DOTs are among the largest construction organizations operating
in this country. As such, many of their projects are subject to storm
water discharge permit requirements during construction. These requirements
have recently been revised by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
as a part of the development of Phase 2 of the National Pollutant Storm
Water program. New requirements that will allow certain projects
to be undertaken without permit coverage at all have been instituted by
the EPA. Other requirements that reduce the acreage threshold from
5 acres to 1 acre have also been finalized for the Phase 2 program.
Different methods of complying with NPDES regulations for highway projects
and several failed attempts at compliance will be discussed.
DOT INDUSTRIAL OPERATIONS
Many State DOTs have extensive vehicle maintenance facilities.
They may also operate other types of industrial facilities. Under
current storm water permit program requirements, these industrial activities
are subject to their own individual permit obligations which may not be
satisfied by construction or municipal storm water discharge permits.
The identification of an industrial transportation facility is among the
most difficult determinations under the NPDES storm water program.
An industrial transportation facility is characterized not only by the
type of material stored or used at the site, but also the extent of operations
performed on vehicles there, the particular types of vehicles that are
maintained at the facility, and other specific considerations. State
DOTs in particular tend to operate transportation maintenance facilities
at locations in which other activities are also performed, such as storage
of roadway signs and other safety equipment, storage of construction materials,
and various types of other operations. Under these circumstances,
it can be difficult to determine whether a particular facility qualifies
as an industrial transportation facility or not.
DOT MUNICIPAL OPERATIONS
State DOTs are also municipal entities which fall under the large municipality
requirements of the Federal Water Quality Act Ammendments of 1987.
As such, they have an obligation to reduce pollutant discharge to the maximum
extent practicable and to eliminate illicit discharges into the public
drainage systems that they own and operate. These include all gutters,
inlets, catch basins, storm sewers, channels, and all other elements of
the storm water drainage system at any scale.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
Personnel responsible for NPDES permits at State DOTs, county public
works departments and similar organizations
INSTRUCTORS:
Roy D. Dodson, P.E., Dodson & Associates, Houston, Texas