&ER&
State Innovation Grant
Program
Arizona:
Developing  an Automated Permitting Process
The EPA State Innovation Grant Program was established in 2002 to help strengthen EPA's innovation partnerships with States
and Tribes and is a direct result of the Agency's innovation strategy, Innovating for Better Environmental Results: A Strategy to Guide
the Next Generation of Innovation at EPA (http: / /www.epa.gov/innovation /strategy). To support the Innovation Strategy, the 2002
grant program focused its efforts on projects that related to one of four priority issues: reducing greenhouse gases, reducing
smog, improving water quality, and reducing the cost of drinking water or wastewater infrastructure. In addition, EPA sought
projects that test incentives that motivate "beyond-compliance" environmental performance, or move whole sectors  toward
improved environmental performance. This series of fact sheets  features the State projects selected for funding under the
Grant Program.
             Contacts:
Wayne  Hood
Arizona Department of Environmental
Quality, Phoenix, AZ, 602-771-4427,
Hood.Wayne@ev.state.az.us

John Tinger
US EPA Region 9, San Francisco, CA,
415-972-3518, tinger.john@epa.gov

Gerald (Jerry) Filbin
US EPA National Center for Environmental
Innovation, Washington, DC, 202-566-2182,
filbin.gerald@epa.gov

Smart NOI  Website
http://az.gov/adeq/noi
                   Background
                   Arizona has a Construction Stormwater General Permit, designed
                   to cover most construction activities, to protect the quality and
                   beneficial uses of the State's surface water resources from polluted
                   stormwater runoff.  The permit requires operators to plan and
                   implement appropriate pollution prevention and control practices
                   for stormwater runoff during the construction period. These Best
                   Management Practices (BMPs) are aimed primarily at controlling
                   erosion and sediment transport, but also include controls, like good
                   housekeeping practices, aimed at containing other pollutants such
                   as construction chemicals and solid waste (e.g., litter). A key step
                   in obtaining coverage under the general permit is  submitting a
                   Notice of Intent (NOI) to  discharge storm water with specific
                   project-related information. The NOI also serves as the operator's
                   promise that they will comply with the permit conditions
                   throughout the duration of the project.
                                                              NCEI

                                                             NATIONAL CENTER  FOR
                                                             ENVIRONMENTAL  INNOVATION

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AZ  Smart NOIs—Project
Description

The  Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
(ADEQ) is developing "A Smart NOT" project, the goal
of which is to create an automated decision matrix for
managing  the Arizona pollutant discharge elimination
system (AZPDES).  This Web-based system is known
as the "Smart NOT," for notice of intent, which will
help  ease the challenge caused by a recent change to
federal regulations that greatly expanded the  number
of construction projects that require permit coverage
as part of an effort to reduce  stormwater runoff
pollution.  The regulation, which took effect in March,
requires operators of construction projects that disturb
an acre or more of land to obtain prior authorization
to discharging stormwater, increasing the number of
permit applications  in Arizona from about 2,000 to
10,000 per year. The goal is to reduce red tape and make
this new federal permit requirement as user friendly as
possible while protecting Arizona's environment. This
"smart" Internet application is expected to reduce
regulated community compliance costs through a more
efficient permitting process. ADEQ officials believe this
system will lead to improved water quality because the
user-friendly system will increase industry compliance with
State clean water regulations.
The  NOT application process  takes users through a
series of questions that enables both applicants and
Arizona DEQ officials to  determine the  level  of
attention  each project  needs.  This online service
provides an easy-to-use, GIS mapping and analysis tool
to help applicants establish the latitude and longitude
of proposed construction sites and their proximity to
surface waters, including sensitive or impaired areas, by:
• allowing applicants to file for coverage, waiver, or
  terminate coverage under ADEQ's General Permit
  for stormwater discharges from construction sites;
• analyzing applicants'  responses to rapidly identify
  those  applicants who need  to  submit  their
  Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPPs)
  to ADEQ for detailed project review;
             •  generating online records and receipts for applicants
                confirming transactions and determinations; and
             •  automatically store data, enabling ADEQ officials
                to track permit type, frequency, and project location.
             This  online application process automatically
             determines what level of permit coverage is needed.
             If more detailed review is necessary, the system will
             advise applicants  of a delay in coverage and/or the
             need to submit a SWPPP to ADEQ.

             Benefits of AZ Smart  NOIs

             The "Smart NOT" system enables permitees to more
             easily navigate the  permit process  by reducing
             paperwork and accelerating NOT review. The step-by-
             step,  plain-language  format ensures that applicants
             consider all pertinent information, which increases the
             accuracy of Agency records and reduces time needed
             to correct or amend applications. The electronic data
             management system (including the GIS-based analysis
             tool)  provides preliminary  answers to questions
             applicants  might have about  the  timing and
             requirements for permit coverage required for a specific
             project. The GIS system ultimately serves as an analysis
             that improves water quality through a smarter, faster,
             permitting  system.
             Overall, Agency performance and productivity will
             significantly improve due to automated permitting at
             the customer level, reduced labor demands, increased
             accuracy of results,  and improved availability  of
             information.  Further, this dramatic improvement in
             customer service makes the process less burdensome,
             resulting in an increased number of applicants. Those
             applicants will be more aware of their regulatory storm
             water requirements and  better educated about issues
             related to erosion and sediment control at their job sites.

             Project Plan for AZ  Smart NOIs

             ADEQ staff will prepare a detailed project plan and
             documents on requirements analysis  and design,
             programming and equipment configurations,  Web
             module testing, and deployment. The project runs from
             September  1, 2002 to September 30, 2003.
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Policy,
Economics and Innovation
(1807T)
      June 2003
EPA-100-F-03-027

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