Construction Support Activities (Dedicated Batch Plants)
When a temporary concrete or asphalt batch plant can be permitted under TXR150000 instead of TXR050000, including the 1-mile rule, quarterly effluent grab sampling, and 18"–24" perimeter berm controls.
Qualifying a Temporary Batch Plant Under TXR150000
To prepare an SWP3 that includes temporary batch plant operations under the Construction General Permit (TXR150000 Part II.A.2) rather than a separate Multi-Sector Industrial Permit (TXR050000), the following three conditions must be met:
- The support activities are not commercial operations and do not serve multiple unrelated construction projects;
- The batch plant is located within one (1) mile from the boundary of the permitted construction site and directly supports the construction activity;
- An SWP3 is developed for the permitted construction site that includes appropriate controls to reduce erosion and pollutant discharges from the support activity, and the support activity does not operate beyond the completion date of the construction project.
Separate Paving + Batch Plant SWP3s
Pursuant to Part III of the Permit (“Individual operators at a site may develop separate SWP3s that cover only their portion of the project, provided reference is made to the other operators at the site”), ProTex can generate a dedicated SWP3 specifically for the paving contractor's operations and temporary batch plant.
The total square yards to be paved combined with the acreage of the batch plant site constitute the SWP3’s disturbed area. To minimize the likelihood of stormwater discharge from the plant site, our erosion control plan specifies an 18”–24” earthen perimeter berm around the plant site and at least one stabilized construction entrance.
Mandatory Quarterly Effluent Grab Sampling
Concrete batch plants authorized as Construction Support Activities under TXR150000 must perform effluent testing when a discharge occurs:
- 30-Minute Rule: Sampling is required within the first 30 minutes of discharge (or within the first hour if impracticable, with written documentation explaining why).
- Quarterly Schedule: Sampling must be conducted at least once during each calendar quarter in which a discharge occurs (Jan–Mar, Apr–Jun, Jul–Sep, Oct–Dec). For projects lasting less than one full quarter, at least one sample must be collected if a discharge occurs prior to termination.
- Qualifying Storm Event: A grab sample must be collected from stormwater discharge resulting from a storm event of at least 0.1 inches of precipitation occurring at least 72 hours after the previous measurable storm event, taken downstream of the batch plant BMPs prior to commingling with other waters.