(NPDES) Permit and Compliance

Question: What is the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program?

Answer: “NPDES pesticide discharge permit is referring to a federally mandated permit that is required for all pesticide discharge that occur in excess of state mandated threshold requirements. It’s a fairly complicated permitting system, but in some states the contractor holds the permit and in others the property holds the permit. So each state is kind of different. The desired outcome from this permit system is to kind of insure and monitor pesticide treatments for following what’s called IPM— integrated pest management techniques.”

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The NPDES, or National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, is an offshoot of the Clean Water Act. It requires that anyone who manages or owns a property that has a lake or pond must comply with certain federally mandated regulations regarding pesticides that are applied near or directly to the water.

The Compliance Process

In order to be NPDES compliant, a substantial amount of documentation regarding the type of pesticide used, the location it was applied and who applied it is required. Additionally, NPDES mandates that the water quality be monitored both before and after the application.

Requirements Vary by State

The NPDES permit is federally mandated; however, each state has its own version of this permit that may differ from what is required at the federal level.

At Estate Management Services, we are knowledgeable about every aspect of NPDES permits and compliance in each state in our service area. For more information, contact us at 1-866-812-6588.