If you discharge pollutants from a point source to a water of the United States you need an NPDES permit.
As authorized by the Clean Water Act, the NPDES Permit Program controls water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants into waters of the United States. Point sources are discrete conveyances such as pipes or man-made ditches. Examples of pollutants include, but are not limited to, rock, sand, dirt, and agricultural, industrial, and municipal waste discharged into waters of the United States. See section 122.2 of 40 Code of Federal Regulations for the definitions of point source, pollutant, and water of the United States.
The NPDES Program is a federal program which has been delegated to the State of California for implementation through the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) and the nine Regional Water Quality Control Boards (Regional Water Boards), collectively Water Boards. In California, NPDES permits are also referred to as waste discharge requirements (WDRs) that regulate discharges to waters of the United States.
Since its introduction in 1972, the NPDES Program has been responsible for significant improvements to our nation's and state’s water quality.
QUICK LINKSThe map below shows the nine Regional Water Board boundaries which are based on watersheds. Using the map, determine where your discharge will occur and contact the appropriate Regional Water Board NPDES Program Manager for that region. The contact information for the Regional Water Board NPDES Program Managers is shown in the table below.
~ click map to enlarge ~
