Industrial Program

Michigan's industrial storm water permit authorization requires facilities to obtain an industrial storm water certified operator who has supervision over the storm water treatment and control measures at the facility. In addition the facility must develop a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) which describes nonstructural and structural controls implemented onsite and eliminate any unauthorized non-storm water discharges.  The certification process for industrial storm water certified operators is currently an on going process in each of the district offices.

Industrial Storm Water Program Staff Contact Information 

Once it has been determined that an industrial storm water permit is required, please review the appropriate general permit below. General permits are associated with a cycle year and the watershed that receives the storm water discharge. General permits are reissued every 5 years.

• Watershed Cycle Year Map
• Industrial Storm Water General Permits
• Industrial Storm Water Permits on Public Notice

The following compliance assistance documents and web links are intended to help facilities better understand the storm water program regulations.

• Determining if a facility is required to obtain a permit (NEW FACILITIES)
• Determining if a facility is required to obtain a permit (EXISTING FACILITIES) 
• Federally Regulated Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Code List
• North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Website
• (NAICS / SIC code) Frequently asked questions
• EPA - Industrial Storm Water Fact Sheet Series
• No Exposure Certification Guidance 
• DEQ storm water permit info - Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)
• DEQ storm water permit info - spill reporting
• Pollution Prevention for Business
• Office of Environmental Assistance
• Compliance Assistance Guides

The following compliance assistance documents were developed for the marina industrial sector.

• Marina Operations Compliance Assistance
• Boat Bottom Wash Pilot Study 

The General Administrative Consent Order for Unpermitted Discharges No. ACO-UD12-100 (Consent Order) is for industrial storm water facilities that are currently discharging storm water to surface waters of the state without industrial storm water permit coverage from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Water Resources Division (WRD). Please review the compliance assistance document titled "Certificate of Entry Process for Unpermitted Facilities" below to see if your facility qualifies to use the Notice of Intent and Certificate of Entry application form (NOI/COE form). In order to fulfill the requirements of the Consent Order, eligible facilities must submit a completed NOI/COE form to the address specified on the NOI/COE form.

• Certificate of Entry Process for Unpermitted Facilities (Compliance Assistance Document)
• General Administrative Consent Order for Unpermitted Discharges No. ACO-UD12-100

The video below was developed to help understand what is involved with the Industrial Storm Water Program.

• Introduction to the DEQ Industrial Storm Water Program

The video below was developed to assist permittees and certified operators with their annual employee training program.

• Storm Water Employee Training

The video below was developed to make permittees aware of what to expect during a DEQ industrial storm water permit compliance inspection.

• What to Expect During a DEQ Industrial Storm Water Inspection

Industrial Storm Water Operator Certification is required for all facilities that require industrial storm water permit coverage. The Industrial Storm Water Certified Operator Training is conducted in the district offices. In order to obtain your certification you must attend one of the DEQ WRD industrial certified operator training sessions. Please open the INDUSTRIAL STORM WATER CERTIFIED OPERATOR TRAINING SCHEDULE listed below this paragraph for information on the training session dates, location of training sessions, and the registration contact. Contact the registration contact to register for one of the certification training sessions. At the training session you will receive a certification application form that needs to be completed and submitted to the DEQ with a $30 certification fee. Industrial Storm Water Certified Operator Certification is valid for 5 years from the year that it is issued.

• Industrial Storm Water Certified Operator Training Manual 
• Industrial Storm Water Certified Operator Training Opportunities/Registration 

Storm Water Operator Certification is valid for 5 years from the year that it is issued.  Certificates expire on July 1.  In order to renew your certification you must attend one of the DEQ WRD recertification training sessions.  At the training you will receive a recertification form that needs to be completed and submitted to the DEQ with a $95 recertification fee.  Contact your district industrial storm water staff person to register for one of the recertification training sessions. Please be aware that the recertification form needs to be post marked by August 31st to be accepted.

• 2013 Certified Operator Recertification Training Schedule
• Operator Certification Fee - FAQ Document
• Industrial Storm Water Certified Operator Training Manual  

The DEQ has created a SWPPP template to assist permittees in the development of an approvable SWPPP. A sample SWPPP is also provided as a reference.

• SWPPP Template (Word), (PDF) 
• SWPPP sample
• SWPPP Checklist (Word), (PDF) 

• Notice of Intent (NOI) (Word), (PDF)
• No Exposure Certification (NEC) (Word) (PDF)
• Transfer of Coverage (TOC) (Word) (PDF)
• Storm Water Annual Report (Due on or before January 10th of each year)

The documents below will assist in the development of an approvable Short Term Storm Water Characterization Study (STSWCS) plan. An STSWCS plan needs to be developed by facilities in order to comply with the required monitoring conditions in the general permit.

• Short Term Storm Water Characterization Study Document
• Storm Water Sampling Plan Checklist
• EPA Storm Water Sampling Guide