NPDES Permitting Support
Windward provides a wide variety of services to National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater and wastewater permittees. We serve industrial and municipal clients, working on both stormwater and wastewater issues. We understand state and federal water quality standards for aquatic life and human health, as well as NPDES stormwater regulations as implemented under individual and general sector-specific federal and state NPDES permits. We are intimately familiar with both typical and unique NPDES permitting approaches, and can assist attorneys in developing technical strategies to defend these approaches, as well as provide expert testimony during appeals or other legal challenges.
Windward’s services include completing permit application documents and preparing effluent datasets; developing and reviewing fact sheets and draft permits; negotiating permit requirements with regulators; designing and implementing receiving water quality and stormwater monitoring programs; evaluating “reasonable potential” and water quality-based effluent limits (WQBELs); managing sample data and preparing discharge monitoring report; coordinating and evaluating whole effluent toxicity tests and toxicity identification evaluations; preparing stormwater pollution prevention plans (SWPPPs); identifying non-stormwater discharges and associated remedies; designing and conducting bench- and pilot-scale stormwater treatment evaluations; preparing engineering reports to monitor construction stormwater runoff; and providing technical support for waste management decisions. Windward designs and implements innovative best management practices (BMPs) for source control and treatment and optimizes existing BMPs, with particular expertise in BMPs for roofing materials and structures. We perform NPDES-required facility inspections to assess stormwater pollutant sources, develop drainage maps, evaluate BMP effectiveness, and confirm SWPPP compliance. We coordinate and conduct video camera assessments, drainage infrastructure cleanouts, and treatment system maintenance. We also design and implement receiving water studies to evaluate the need for WQBELs, or develop site-specific water quality criteria for ammonia, copper, and zinc.