FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 17, 2012
DEP DISTRICT OFFICE HOSTS GROUNDWATER PERMITTING WORKSHOP
~DEP's Northwest District staff leads educational workshop to
assist attendees with permitting requirements typical of dewatering
activities~
 Department specialists address challenges and shared best management practices to the 43 registered attendees at the workshop.
PENSACOLA - The Florida
Department of Environmental Protection’s Northwest District conducted a
workshop Tuesday designed to provide education and compliance
assistance with the Department’s permitting requirements for discharges
of produced groundwater typical of dewatering activities. Attendees of
the workshop included local underground utility owners and contractors,
industrial facilities, environmental consultants and local government workers who conduct business within the district’s 16-county jurisdiction. A
total of 43 attendees -- the maximum allowed to register -- attended the
event.
“The Department's goal is to achieve
compliance with all state and federal environmental regulations to
ensure protection of the water resources that support our state’s
economy and livelihood. By educating and providing compliance
assistance to targeted industries, we can improve overall compliance,”
said the Department’s Northwest District Director, Shawn Hamilton. “This
free workshop is one of our many efforts to improve compliance through
education and outreach to our regulated community.”
Dewatering is regulated under the National
Pollution Discharge Elimination System program, a federal program
established by the Clean Water Act to control point source and
stormwater discharges. The State of Florida requires that
discharges of waste into waters of the state, or which will reasonably
be expected to be a source of water pollution, must obtain a permit from
the Florida Department of Environmental Protection under Florida
Statutes.
Several regulatory specialists from the Department
addressed industry specific challenges and suggested best managementp ractices that underground utility contractors can use to insure not only
regulatory compliance, but a higher level of environmental protection.
Four things to remember about dewatering:
-Sample before commencing discharge.
-Make sure samples are within limits. If not, another type of authorization may be needed.
-Make sure you submit a project summary, sample results and tracking reports timely according to the Generic Permit.
-No one can discharge contaminated water to Florida’s water ways without a permit or exemption.
For more information about these topics, contact the DEP Northwest District at 850.595-8300 or visit http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/wastewater/iw/genperm.htm
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