Storm water management (construction and industrial)

A commercial business is one that purchases goods wholesale and operates a retail location where they sell directly to the public. Examples include:

• gas stations;
• box stores (e.g. K-Mart); and
• grocery stores.

Selecting "No" will take you to the industrial storm water management pages.

Would you like to review information on best management practices for controlling storm water during construction? Select "Green land development: Save dollars and the environment" below to provide you with ideas on minimizing and controlling storm water runoff.

Green land development: Save dollars and the environment

To find out how you can save money and minimize land disturbance on your project site, read on.

Up–front planning

Minimizing the amount of impervious areas during the design phase of your project is important. By reducing amounts of blacktop and concrete used (substituting non-paved, gravel pathways, parking areas) and running roof drains, gutters and downspouts to natural swales or grassy areas, you can save dollars that would otherwise be spent on storm sewer fees and ongoing maintenance costs.

Department store layout incorporating grass swales, turf pavers and grouped plantings. Up–front planning can include creating grassy swales or leaving natural areas thereby allowing rainwater to be absorbed instead of ending up as runoff. This can lead to positive public recognition, as well. Drawing by Robert W. Droll, Landscape architect.

Filling and grading

When looking at the parcel in which you plan to develop for your small business, consider alternatives to clearing, grading, filling and disposal such as preserving your valuable natural areas. If you see areas with existing trees, shrubs and groundcover on your property, you can save money by leaving them in place.

Not only will you save on rising landscaping costs (landscaping, lawn mowing, etc.), you may be able to avoid storm water issues related to water quality and amount of less pervious and impervious surfaces such as compacted lawns and blacktop.

How much land will be disturbed?

A permit is not required if you are disturbing less than one acre. Minimizing land disturbance, however, is vital towards saving dollars associated with landscaping and ongoing maintenance, and protecting watersheds and nearby water bodies.

NOTE: If your proposed facility is near surface waters or wetlands you may need a DNR Waterway and Wetlands permit. Please refer to the Waterway protection for more information.

Would you like to review pollution prevention options?

Select "Review pollution prevention options" below to provide you with ideas to reduce your impact on storm water runoff.

If you don't want to review the P2 page, please select "Continue to Industrial storm water management".

If your small business plans include disturbing one or more acres of land (one acre = approx 210 feet by 210 feet of land area) you will need to apply for a construction storm water management permit.

NOTE: If your proposed facility is near surface waters or wetlands you may also need a DNR waterway and wetlands permit. Please refer to the Waterway protection for more information.

A construction permit is required for an indirect source if your plan:

• proposes more than 350,000 square feet of impervious surface dedicated to parking and maneuver and is located in a metropolitan county; or
• proposes more than 525,000 square feet of impervious surface dedicated to parking and maneuver and is located outside a metropolitan county.

The Department of Natural Resources has developed a series of construction site erosion and sediment control technical standards that replace the Wisconsin Construction Site Best Management Practice Handbook. Each technical standard can be downloaded from the internet at Storm water management technical standards.

Applying for your construction storm water management permit

Please complete the following two steps in order to apply for a construction storm water permit. When you've finished completing them, select "Operational Storm Water Management" to continue.

Complete the following Notice of Intent form through the Water e-Permitting system.

Click on "Review the Construction and long term storm water management" to review the information on the next page which provides guidance on what elements are needed when writing your erosion control and storm water management plans.

Generally, the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) is granted erosion control authority over commercial building (Wis. Stats. Chapter 283). Federal and state law requires that your business obtain permit coverage before initial land disturbing activity occurs if the project will result in one or more acres of land disturbance (once acre = approx 210 feet by 210 feet of land area).

NOTE: If your proposed facility is near surface waters or wetlands you may also need a DNR Waterway and Wetlands permit. Please refer to Waterway protection for more information. If your development proposes a large scale parking area or parking structure, an indirect source air permit may be required prior to construction.

To determine what permits and approvals may be required, please contact a Department of Safety and Professional Services staff person(s). After you visit the Department of Safety and Professional Services web site, please select the appropriate button (below) to determine if you need an operational storm water permit.

Would you like to review pollution prevention options?

Select "Yes" below to provide you with ideas to reduce your impact on storm water runoff.

If you don't want to review the P2 page, please select the "No" button below. This link will take you to the Industrial storm water management pages.

This essay was designed to show some methods used to control erosion before, during and after construction and to review some long term storm water management methods installed prior to your business operations.

Before reading the following information, note that technical guidance documents are available to assist you in creating your plan.

Construction storm water management (erosion control)

When beginning to locate your small business on a new property, it is important to design your site with erosion control and construction storm water management practices in mind. Minimizing land disturbance and keeping native vegetation and soils in place will have the greatest long term impact on protecting the watershed and any nearby water bodies (lakes, rivers and wetland areas) - the ultimate destination of storm water runoff. This up-front planning will save dollars otherwise earmarked for storm sewer fees, lawn creation and maintenance costs, and disposal charges, to name a few.

An excellent resource published by UW Extension is Preserving Trees During Construction.

But some land disturbance will ultimately occur due to building footprint needs, parking areas, driveways, etc. Since a construction and long term storm water management plan is required prior to any construction activities, please read through the following key points to assist you in creating and implementing sound erosion control and flow management plans for your small business site.

Site phasing

When first creating your erosion control plan, try to design site phasing into the construction. Site phasing minimizes soil erosion by having smaller portions of your site disturbed at any one time (e.g. fitting the development to the topographic "lay of the land", minimizing the development footprint by clearing only the land required for buildings, roads, and utilities, and providing buffers from natural drainage systems and water bodies).

Sediment controls

Sediment control practices are designed to remove some of the soil particles that are suspended in runoff. By using properly installed silt fencing, straw bales, sediment traps or sediment basins, any sediment or other materials will be held in place on the construction site and not end up in wetlands, lakes, or rivers. These should be written into the erosion control plan and installed within 24 hours of any land disturbance.

Silt fencing, if installed improperly, can cause a greater release during a major rainfall event.

A good source of information on proper installation of straw bales and silt fences is the UW Extension publication Erosion Control for Home Builders. This document covers the more common erosion control practices used during development of a site.

Erosion controls

Mulches, blankets and matting, seeding and soil stabilizers are used to stabilize a recently disturbed area and minimize the dislodging of soil particles by raindrop impacts and flowing water. Some advantages include: reducing flow velocities of storm water through the area and reducing moisture loss when seeding and planting is done. They prevent crusting and sealing of the soil surface and moderate soil temperatures. This allows seed germination to occur more readily. And they increase infiltration of storm water at the site.

Mulching: A protective blanket of straw or other plant residue, gravel or synthetic material applied to the soil surface to minimize raindrop impact energy and runoff, foster vegetative growth, reduce evaporation, insulate the soil, and suppress weed growth. Mulch provides immediate protection, and straw mulch is also typically used as a matrix for spreading plant seed. Organic mulches such as straw, wood chips and shredded bark have been found to be the most effective. Straw typically requires some kind of tacking, such as liquid emulsions or netting. Netting may also be needed to hold mulch in place on slopes.

Mats and blankets are made from a wide variety of organic and synthetic materials and are useful in establishing grass in swales and waterways, plus they promote seedling growth.

Erosion control products availability list

Erosion Control Product Availability Lists (PAL) - Wisconsin DOT

The above list was compiled by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to highlight advances in erosion mats, soil stabilizers, tackifiers and silt fences.

Long term storm water management plan (Flow management)

Planning for long term collection and treatment of storm water runoff early in your site planning process will save dollars and protect nearby waterways. When writing the long-term storm water management portion of your plan, include the following commonly used practices. These practices, when used solely, or in combination, will hold back sediment while allowing runoff water to seep slowly back into the ground.

Wet detention basins

A permanent pool of water with designed dimensions, inlets, outlets and storage capacity, constructed to collect, detain, treat and release storm water runoff. The wet detention basin is the most common long-term storm water management practice used in Wisconsin.

Infiltration basins and trenches

Infiltration basins and trenches are used to hold sediment in place, preventing it from choking out and making wetlands ineffective or adding to silty deposits in nearby rivers and lakes. These basins can be very important during larger storms when other storm water management practices cannot treat or recharge runoff as well.

Grassed swales

Grassed swales function by slowing runoff as it comes off an impervious surface (such as the principal parking area for your business). The grassed swale can remove sediments and other pollutants and provides some infiltration into the soil. A drawback, however, is that they can be ineffective at treating and absorbing runoff during a larger rain event.

Storm water wetlands (a.k.a. constructed wetlands, artificial wetlands)

Storm water wetlands are shallow pools that have wetland plants which remove pollutants through biological uptake. They are among the most beneficial in removing pollutants and are aesthetically pleasing, as well. Storm water wetlands can provide educational and habitat benefits and can be incorporated into any existing ponds or swales you may already have in place.

Parking lots - pavers, porous concrete and bioretention islands

Can your small business design a better parking lot? According to Watershed Protection Techniques [3(2): 647] "parking lots rank among the most harmful land uses in any watershed. They not only collect pollutants that are deposited from the atmosphere, but also accumulate pollutants that leak, drip or wear off cars."

The article also mentions several design ideas such as reducing stall sizes, narrowing drive aisles and using innovative materials and practices such as grid pavers, porous concrete and bioretention islands to absorb storm water.

There are several other long term flow management practices that can be incorporated into your site design to minimize your impact to the local watershed and save you money. Please refer to the "Related Links" (button found along the right margin of most pages within the Small Business Web Site) topic when you have completed the other topics.

As stated earlier, the storm water program has two types of permits: construction and industrial. You have already determined if you need a construction permit. Now you need to see if your business will be required to have an operational permit.

Look at the following lists of business types below to determine which tier you fall under. (Note that there are ways to move into a less stringent tier by adopting certain pollution prevention strategies.)

TIER 1 — Heavy Manufacturers

If your business falls into one of the below categories, please select the TIER 1 button below.

• Chemical and allied products
• Fabricated structural metal
• Facilities with bulk storage piles for coal, metallic and non-metallic minerals and ores, and scrap
• Leather tanning and finishing
• Lumber and wood products
• Metal scrap yards, battery reclaimers, salvage yards and recyclers of scrap and waste material
• Paper and allied products
• Petroleum refining
• Primary metal industries
• Ship and boat building and repair
• Stone, clay, glass and concrete products

TIER 2 — Light Manufacturers

If your business falls into one of the below categories, please select the TIER 2 button below.

Apparel and other textile products Coal mining Drugs Electronic and other electrical equipment and components Fabricated metal products Farm product warehousing and storage Food and kindred products Furniture and fixtures General warehousing and storage Industrial and commercial machinery and computer equipment Instruments and related products Leather and leather products Local and interurban passenger transit Metal mining Miscellaneous converted paper products Miscellaneous manufacturing industries Non-metallic minerals, except fuels Oil and gas extraction Paints and allied products

Paperboard containers and boxes Parking lots — large scale Petroleum bulk stations and terminals Printing, publishing and allied industries Products of purchased glass Railroad transportation Refrigerated warehousing and storage Rubber and miscellaneous plastics products Textile mill products Tobacco products Transportation by air Transportation equipment Trucking and warehousing U.S. Postal Service Water transportation Wood kitchen cabinets

There are ways to avoid the need for Tier 1/Tier 2 permitting. Would you like to review pollution prevention options? Select "Ways to avoid becoming a Tier 1 facility" below to provide you with ideas to reduce your impact on storm water runoff.

Ways to avoid becoming a Tier 1 facility

To find out how you can save money and minimize rainwater contamination on your site, read on.

Storing Materials Inside

By storing any substances used in your processes inside, they won't be in contact with rainwater or snowmelt and thereby reduce contaminated runoff at your site.

Are you eligible for a No Exposure certification? Please review the requirements.

No Exposure

A condition of no exposure exists at an industrial facility when all industrial materials and activities are protected by a storm resistant shelter to prevent exposure to rain, snow, snowmelt, and/or runoff. Industrial materials or activities include, but are not limited to, material handling equipment or activities, industrial machinery, raw materials, intermediate products, by-products, final products or waste products. Material handling activities include the storage, loading and unloading, transportation, or conveyance of any raw material, intermediate product, final product or waste product. A storm resistant shelter is not required for the following industrial materials and activities:

• drums, barrels, tanks, and similar containers that are tightly sealed, provided those containers are not deteriorated and do not leak. "Sealed" means banded or otherwise secured and without operational taps or valves;
• adequately maintained vehicles used in material handling; and
• final products, other than products that would be mobilized in storm water discharges (e.g., rock salt).

To apply for a No Exposure Certification, go to the Industrial Stormwater Permit forms webpage and look for a link to the online permit system.

Tier 1 facilities

The Tier 1 general permit covers the "heavy" industries such as lumber and wood products, paper and allied products, chemical and allied products, stone, clay, glass and concrete products and primary metal industries to name a few.

NOTE: If you are constructing a new facility, portions of your Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) need to be submitted prior to commencement of operations.

Please review the chart below for the requirements under Tier 1 then follow the steps immediately following this chart.

Forms

Industrial forms and reports (such as SWPPPs, inspection, and sampling documents) can now be submitted through the Water ePermitting System. The e-permitting system does not require any special software and is completely web-based and available using any internet browser.

Wisconsin Guidance for Industrial Storm Water Sampling

This document explains permit requirements for storm water sampling at industrial sites in Wisconsin. You also learn how to establish a sampling program and make appropriate collections of storm water samples. It is primarily designed to help the owners/operators of an industrial site in the planning for and fulfilling of the Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) Tier 1 Storm Water Discharge permit sampling requirements.

If you do need laboratory services, please refer to the listing of Wisconsin Lists of Accredited Laboratories.

Please contact the storm water management staff covering your business location for additional information or if you have any questions.

Continue on to Wastewater.

There are ways to avoid the need for Tier 1/Tier 2 permitting. Would you like to review pollution prevention options? Select "Ways to avoid becoming a Tier 2 facility" below to provide you with ideas to reduce your impact on storm water runoff.

Ways to avoid becoming a Tier 2 facility

To find out how you can save money and minimize rainwater contamination on your site, read on.

Storing Materials Inside

By storing any substances used in your processes inside, they won't be in contact with rainwater or snowmelt and thereby reduce contaminated runoff at your site.

Are you eligible for a No Exposure certification? Please review the requirements.

No Exposure

A condition of no exposure exists at an industrial facility when all industrial materials and activities are protected by a storm resistant shelter to prevent exposure to rain, snow, snowmelt, and/or runoff. Industrial materials or activities include, but are not limited to, material handling equipment or activities, industrial machinery, raw materials, intermediate products, by-products, final products or waste products. Material handling activities include the storage, loading and unloading, transportation, or conveyance of any raw material, intermediate product, final product or waste product. A storm resistant shelter is not required for the following industrial materials and activities:

• drums, barrels, tanks and similar containers that are tightly sealed, provided those containers are not deteriorated and do not leak. "Sealed" means banded or otherwise secured and without operational taps or valves;
• adequately maintained vehicles used in material handling; and
• final products, other than products that would be mobilized in storm water discharges (e.g., rock salt).

To apply for a No Exposure Certification, go to the Industrial Stormwater Permit forms webpage and look for a link to the online permit system.

Tier 2 facilities

The Tier 2 general permit covers the "light" industries such as furniture manufacturing, printing, warehousing and textiles.

NOTE: If you are constructing a new facility, portions of your Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) need to be submitted prior to commencement of operations.

Please review the chart below for the requirements under Tier 2 then follow the steps immediately following this chart.

Forms

Industrial forms and reports (such as SWPPPs, inspection, and sampling documents) can now be submitted through the Water ePermitting System. The e-permitting system does not require any special software and is completely web-based and available using any internet browser.

Wisconsin Guidance for Industrial Storm Water Sampling

This document explains permit requirements for storm water sampling at industrial sites in Wisconsin. You also learn how to establish a sampling program and make appropriate collections of storm water samples. It is primarily designed to help the owners/operators of an industrial site in the planning for and fulfilling of the Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) Tier 1 Storm Water Discharge permit sampling requirements.

If you do need laboratory services, please refer to the listing of Wisconsin Lists of Accredited Laboratories.

Please contact the storm water management staff covering your business location for additional information or if you have any questions.

Continue on to Wastewater.