United States Environmental
Protection Agency
Office of Wasterwater Management
EPA-833-F-08-006
September 2008
Final National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES) Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP) for
Stormwater Discharges Associated with Industrial Sources
EPA Regions 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, and 10 issued a new Stormwater Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP).
The MSGP, which became effective on September 29, 2008, requires industrial facilities to implement
and maintain site-specific Stormwater control measures and to develop Stormwater pollution
prevention plans (SWPPP). The MSGP regulates the discharge of Stormwater from an estimated
4100 industrial facilities in 29 different industrial sectors. The new permit offers several changes
from its predecessor, including: easier to understand discharge requirements; fast and easy electronic
filing of Notices of Intent (NOIs) and monitoring reports; web-based tools for locating waterbodies
and determining impairment status; and updated monitoring, inspection, and corrective action
schedules. The new permit replaces the MSGP 2000 that expired on October 30, 2005.
Background
Section 405 of the Water Quality Act of 1987 (WQA) added section 402(p) of the Clean Water Act
(CWA), which directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop a phased approach to
regulate Stormwater discharges under the NPDES program. EPA published a final regulation on the
first phase on this program on November 16, 1990, establishing permit application requirements for
"stormwater discharges associated with industrial activity." See 55 FR 48063. EPA defined the term
"Stormwater discharge associated with industrial activity" in a comprehensive manner to cover a wide
variety of facilities. See 40 CFR 122.26(b)(14).
Under this authority, EPA Regions 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, and 10 have issued the new MSGP covering 29
industrial sectors. The previous version of the MSGP, the MSGP 2000, expired on October 30, 2005.
Dischargers that were previously covered by the MSGP 2000 have been covered by an administrative
continuance, and will continue to be covered in this manner, until their authorization under the new
permit. These dischargers will need to submit an NOT to be covered under the new MSGP by no later
than January 5, 2009.
The MSGP provides specific requirements for preventing contamination of stormwater discharges
from industrial facilities listed in the sectors shown below:
Sector A - Timber Products
Sector B - Paper and Allied Products
Manufacturing
Sector C - Chemical and Allied Products
Manufacturing
Sector D - Asphalt Paving and Roofing Materials
Manufactures and Lubricant Manufacturers
Sector E - Glass, Clay, Cement, Concrete, and
Gypsum Product Manufacturing
Sector P
Sector Q
Sector R
Yards
Sector S
Sector T
- Land Transportation
- Water Transportation
- Ship and Boat Building or Repairing
- Air Transportation Facilities
- Treatment Works
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Sector F - Primary Metals
Sector G - Metal Mining (Ore Mining and
Dressing)
Sector H - Coal Mines and Coal Mining-Related
Facilities
Sector I - Oil and Gas Extraction and Refining
Sector J - Mineral Mining and Dressing
Sector K - Hazardous Waste Treatment Storage or
Disposal
Sector L - Landfills and Land Application Sites
Sector M - Automobile Salvage Yards
Sector N - Scrap Recycling Facilities
Sector O - Steam Electric Generating Facilities
Sector U - Food and Kindred Products
Sector V - Textile Mills, Apparel, and other Fabric
Products Manufacturing
Sector W - Furniture and Fixtures
Sector X - Printing and Publishing
Sector Y - Rubber, Miscellaneous Plastic Products,
and Miscellaneous Manufacturing Industries
Sector Z - Leather Tanning and Finishing
Sector AA - Fabricated Metal Products
Sector AB - Transportation Equipment, Industrial
or Commercial Machinery
Sector AC - Electronic, Electrical, Photographic
and Optical Goods
Sector AD - Reserved for Facilities Not Covered
Under Other Sectors and Designated by the Director
About this Permit
The final permit offers several changes from the MSGP 2000, including:
• Reorganized permit that clearly spells out: (1) requirements affecting the installation of
stormwater controls to meet technology-based and water quality-based effluent limits, (2)
inspection and effluent monitoring requirements, and (3) the development of the stormwater
pollution prevention plans (SWPPPs).
• New requirements to annually report inspection findings and the results of corrective actions
to EPA.
• Improved tools for identifying receiving waters and notifying EPA of the location of impaired
waterbodies and the pollutants of concern.
• Fast and easy electronic submission of NOIs through the e-NOI system operated by
Headquarters, with automated email explanations and reminders of monitoring requirements.
• Electronic submission of monitoring results under the e-NOI system.
As part of the Agency's commitment to providing compliance assistance and reducing the burden on
permittees, EPA is also publishing sector-specific fact sheets and a new monitoring guide, which will
be available shortly.
Additional Information
For further information, visit the Office of Wastewater Management web page at:
www.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/msgp, contact Greg Schaner at (202) 564-0721, or send questions via
email to EPA's stormwater permit mailbox: SWpermit@epa.gov.
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