Ohio Antidegradation Requirement Under Revised Industrial Permit

Antidegradation rules have been required since 1972, and set standards that need to be meet for New or Expanded discharges. These rules also establish additional evaluations, controls, and sometimes prohibit discharges to selected high value water bodies.

The Ohio EPA has recently proposed antidegradation requirements that will apply to industrial stormwater discharges under the State of Ohio Multisector general permit (MSGP) for industrial stormwater. In order to comply with the Ohio Antidegradation Rules, facilities that were not authorized to discharge storm water by an NPDES industrial storm water general permit prior to February 11, 1996 are not eligible for coverage under the revised general permit if the site discharges to outstanding state waters, superior high quality waters or outstanding national resource waters, other than Lake Erie, as defined by and identified in rule 3745-1-05 of the Ohio Administrative Code, or direct tributaries to these waters within 1 mile of these waters.

Facilities excluded from coverage under the revised general permit will need to permit stormwater discharges by other means, and will need to meet antidegradation requirements.

[Read summary of OEPA general permit]

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