Outdoor stockpile management: Get ready for fall and winter

Do you stockpile materials at your facility, or have questions about whether you do?  Some of the more common examples of material stockpiling include:

• Auto parts in salvage yards
• Appliances at solid-waste facilities
• Logs and lumber at sawmills, flooring mills or wood-preserving facilities
• Sand or salt for road de-icing at  facilities
• Topsoil/soil/gravel from excavations at sand and gravel facilities
• Corn, sugar beets or potatoes at food-processing or land-transportation and warehousing facilities
• Coal from steam-generating facilities

If your facility stockpiles these or similar raw materials, proper management is necessary to prevent  stormwater from washing across the exposed stockpile, becoming contaminated and carrying particulates and contamination off the facility property.

Some of the easiest practices to implement can be the most effective in managing any type of raw material stockpile:

• Impermeable berms or channels located ‘upstream’ to route surface flows away from the stockpiled material
• Berming the stockpile on all sides with a ramp for truck and equipment access
• Curbing along the perimeter of the area to prevent the run-on of uncontaminated stormwater from adjacent areas as well as runoff of stormwater from the stockpile areas
• Covering small stockpiles at all times when work with the stockpiles is not occurring
• If the stockpiles are so large that they cannot feasibly be covered and contained, implement erosion control practices at the perimeter of your site and at any catch basins to prevent erosion of the stockpiled material off-site

Sample BMPs for managing salt storage:     

• Place an impervious pad under salt storage and work areas and cover the salt piles
• Sweep up any salt that is tracked out of the salt-storage area
• For cold weather activities, manually clear sidewalks, driveways and parking lots prior to applying a de-icer; this activity may reduce or eliminate the need for de-icing products

If you will be stockpiling materials only for a very short duration of time (< 30 days), tarps or silt fence filters installed around the perimeter may be appropriate. However, these temporary measures are not substitutes for adequate long-term coverage.

2015 permit update

Though there are no major updates to report for the 2015 Industrial Stormwater Multi-Sector General Permit (see the June 2013 Industrial Stormwater newsletter article for the latest information), here are some developments related to guidance and forms:

• Stormwater Monitoring Report forms:  We expect to offer electronic reporting (though this likely won’t happen before 2015). 
• Application:  We are encouraging permittees to apply electronically; this process will provide a faster turnaround for permit coverage. We are adding commonly-asked questions and examples for permittees applying for the No Exposure exclusion in order to clarify exposure sources that actually occur at existing facilities.
• Administrative Change Form: We are evaluating whether this form may used only for truly administrative changes such as facility name and contact information.  Technical/non-administrative changes may require a new application, such as adding/removing SIC codes, adding/removing monitoring locations (stay tuned; this is still being discussed).
• Sampling Manual: We want to clarify requirements for holding times, temperatures, instructions on what to do if a sample jar breaks after sample is collected and before it is sent to the lab (and it stops raining).

 If there are other guidance/form changes you would like to have us consider, please contact Melissa Wenzel or (651)757-2816.  We would like to hear from you and learn what it could take to make compliance with the Industrial Stormwater Multi-Sector General Permit easier!

Electronic administrative change form

Important - Use the Administrative Change form when your facility has a contact change, a monitoring location change, or new industrial activities. Find this form here Administrative Change Form.  Take time now to review your “Facility Details/Virtual Permit Information” page of the Industrial Stormwater Permit Information Access page to make sure your permit application information is up to date. If not, fill out the administrative change form today.

NEW!  The administrative change form may now be submitted electronically!  Just like the 2012 Annual Report for permittees, the administrative change form is a fill-inable PDF document with a “Submit” button at the end.  If the “Submit” button doesn’t respond (which is usually related to the permittee’s computer firewall settings), follow the form’s instructions to save and email the document to the program.

Because the Industrial Stormwater Program communicates via email, up-to-date facility site contact and email address information is very important.  Critical messages will still be sent via the U.S. postal service in addition to email.

Stormwater manual update – MIDS information

The MPCA is updating the stormwater manual (Wiki version) on a daily basis.  We recently added several of the Minimal Impact Design Standards (MIDS) work products:  Permeable pavement, iron enhanced sand filter, green roofs and turf. We are in the process of updating the section on rainwater harvesting and re-use.  Trees and bioretention will be added soon.   

Please review the new sections in the manual and provide comments.  We want and value your feedback.  There have been over 360,000 page views since the manual was launched in April.  We know that people are reading it and we want to be sure the information is accurate and up to date. 

http://stormwater.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/Stormwater_Manual_Table_of_Contents 

Please contact Mike Trojan. MPCA Stormwater Manual Project Manager at: 651-757-2790 or mike.trojan@state.mn.us if you have questions. 

Are your furnace, door seals, recycling program, and lighting working at their best?  If you answered ‘I don’t know’, consider contacting RETAP.

The Retiree Environmental Technical Assistance Program (RETAP) provides no-cost energy efficiency and waste reduction assessments for small businesses in Minnesota.

When you have an assessment done, an experienced team of retired professionals will analyze your utility bills, visit your facility, and send you a written report with high-priority changes and estimated financial and environmental savings.

Recommendations may be simple behavior changes, maintenance improvements, or retrofits. While you are under no obligation to implement the recommendations, a high percentage of surveyed clients do implement many of them. Average savings from RETAP recommendations implemented last year is over $2,000 per client. 

Since RETAP's start in 2001, over 200 businesses and institutions – including dry cleaners, coffee shops, and fire stations – have benefited from RETAP assessments. You can too! To find out more or to request a free assessment, visit www.pca.state.mn.us/retap or contact Mike Vennewitz, RETAP Coordinator, at 612-781-1307 or mvennewitz@yahoo.com.

The Minnesota Legislature passed a law during the 2013 session banning the use and sale of coal tar-based sealants, also commonly called sealcoats, throughout Minnesota.  (See Chapter 137, Article 2. Clean Water Fund, Section 17.)  The new law and statewide ban go into effect January 1, 2014.  Coal tar-based sealants may be applied until the end of 2013, except in Minnesota cities which have already banned them (see list below). However, using safer alternatives now will help prevent the release of harmful and persistent chemicals into our lakes and rivers and will also help minimize taxpayer costs for cleanup of stormwater ponds.  To learn more about coal tar-based sealants, or the new legislation, see http://www.pca.state.mn.us/ktqha7e or contact Don Berger at the MPCA (donald.berger@state.mn.us, 651-757-2223.  To learn more about preferred alternatives and contractors experienced in their use, see http://www.pca.state.mn.us/ahx9qrk or contact Al Innes of the MPCA (alister.innes@state.mn.us, 651-757-2457.

Cities where bans are already in effect - Albertville, Buffalo, Cannon Falls, Centerville, Circle Pines, Eden Prairie, Edina, Elk River, Falcon Heights, Golden Valley, Hutchinson, Inver Grove Heights, Little Canada, Maplewood, Medina, Minneapolis, Newport, New Hope, Oakdale, Prior Lake, Rosemount, Roseville, Shoreview, Shorewood, Vadnais Heights, Waconia, West St. Paul, White Bear Lake, Woodland

Electronics such as televisions, computers, and laptops contain toxic metals and chemicals. When thrown away, they can release heavy metals and other chemicals to the environment.  In MN, CRT and mercury-containing devices are banned from disposal.

Craigslist and other classified ads abound with offers for junk removal and free appliance and metal recycling. Before hiring a service to remove unwanted items from your business, make sure the service provider is legitimate. Otherwise, you take the risk of your items being illegally dumped, as was the case in southeast Minnesota recently. Under Minnesota rules, property owners and occupants — whether business, residential or government — have a duty to dispose of waste only through authorized facilities. Recyclers of Minnesota household electronic devices must be registered with the state of Minnesota.  Recyclers of household e-waste often recycle business e-waste as well. Note that recyclers have to register with the MPCA if they are collecting/recycling household electronics, not necessarily business electronics.  

For electronic trash (E-waste), the MPCA offers a list of registered collectors for MN households as well as tips for recycling. We encourage businesses to use recyclers that have achieved third party certification for their environmental practices. The independent third-party certifications, R2 and eStewards, recognize recyclers who manage waste electronics responsibly. Best practices for recyclers include properly managing substances such as a lead and mercury, and ensuring proper recycling of material that will be shipped overseas, which has been a significant concern over the past decade. In counties where there are no local registered recyclers, be sure to contact the county environmental services department.

For more information about the program, contact the MPCA e-waste coordinator Amanda Cotton at 651-757-2211 or amanda.cotton@state.mn.us.