Revised Standards for Erosion and Sediment Control Available for Public Comment

DEC has revised the “New York State Standards and Specifications for Erosion and Sediment Control (Blue Book)”. This document provides minimum standards and specifications for meeting DEC’s criteria for stormwater discharges associated with construction activity. The standards and specifications provide criteria on minimizing erosion and sediment impacts from construction activity involving soil disturbance.  The changes made in the Blue Book reflect advancements in technology and comments from stakeholders who use the document.

Written comments on the draft standard must be submitted by close of business on March 25, 2016 to: Stormwater_info@dec.ny.gov; Note: If submitting comments by e-mail please indicate “Blue Book Updates” in the subject line.

Discharge Monitoring Reports to be Submitted Electronically

DEC now has an electronic Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) system known as NetDMR. It is a web-based tool that will make it easy for wastewater treatment facilities staff to electronically sign and submit their DMRs directly to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and DEC. NetDMR is designed to: reduce the reporting burden on the regulated community; improve data quality; and provide significant cost savings to permittees, EPA and DEC.

The wastewater treatment facilities designated as “Major” by EPA were invited to use the NetDMR system first. Now all facilities are encouraged to begin using NetDMR, because EPA’s Electronic Reporting Rule requires all facilities to electronically submit DMRs by December 21, 2016.

For more information about NetDMR, visit the NetDMR introduction web page.

Training Available for Wastewater Treatment Operators

The New York Water Environment Association (NYWEA) is sponsoring training sessions, titled Sewage Pollution Right to Know (SPRTK), Electronic DMRs and State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) Compliance and Enforcement. DEC presenters will discuss: the regulatory requirements of the Sewage Pollution Right to Know Law and how to report using the NY-Alert System; EPA’s Electronic Reporting Rule requirements and how New York will meet these requirements using NetDMR; and an overview of New York’s SPDES compliance and enforcement procedures. For more details, dates, locations and registration information, refer to the NYWEA website.

NetDMR Webinar Training Available

EPA Headquarters will be providing NetDMR webinar training sessions on a monthly basis for Permittees and Data Providers. Demonstrations on how to create an account, manage access, enter DMR data, sign DMRs and import DMR data from a file will be covered.

Refer to the EPA NetDMR website for additional details, dates and registration information.