The new TCEQ Permit defines Dewatering as - “ Dewatering – The act of draining accumulated stormwater or groundwater from building foundations, vaults, trenches, and other similar points of accumulation.”
The Permit now requires the following on days that dewatering occurs on the Permitted sites:
(a) Personnel provided by the permittee must observe and evaluate dewatering controls at a minimum of once per day on the days where dewatering discharges from the construction site occur. Personnel conducting these evaluations must be knowledgeable of this general permit, the construction activities at the site, and the SWP3 for the site. Personnel conducting these evaluations are not required to have signatory authority for reports under 30 TAC § 305.128 (relating to Signatories to Reports).
(b) Requirements for Observations and Evaluations
i. A report summarizing the scope of any observation and evaluation must be completed within 24-hours following the evaluation. The report must also include, at a minimum, the following:
(A) date of the observations and evaluation;
(B) name(s) and title(s) of personnel making the observations and evaluation;
(C) approximate times that the dewatering discharge began and ended on the day of evaluation, or if the dewatering discharge is a continuous discharge that continues after normal business hours, indicate that the discharge is continuous (this information can be reported by personnel initiating the dewatering discharge);
(D) estimates of the rate (in gallons per day) of discharge on the day of evaluation;
(E) whether or not any indications of pollutant discharge were observed at the point of discharge (e.g., foam, oil sheen, noticeable odor, floating solids, suspended sediments, or other obvious indicators of stormwater pollution); and
(F) major observations, including: the locations of where erosion and discharges of sediment or other pollutants from the site have occurred; locations of BMPs that need to be maintained; locations of BMPs that failed to operate as designed or proved inadequate for a particular location; and locations where additional BMPs are needed.
ii. Actions taken as a result of evaluations, including the date(s) of actions taken, must be described within, and retained as a part of, the SWP3. Reports must identify any incidents of non-compliance. Where a report does not identify any incidents of non-compliance, the report must contain a certification that the facility or site is in compliance with the SWP3 and this permit. The report must be retained as part of the SWP3 and signed by the person and in the manner required by 30 TAC § 305.128 (relating to Signatories to Reports).
iii. The names and qualifications of personnel making the evaluations for the permittee may be documented once in the SWP3 rather than being included in each report.
Here is a link to the report template we have designed: DEWATERINGREPORT.pdf