NJPDES and NPDES permit compliance.
A discharge permit is a set of promises with dates on them: sample this, at this frequency, by this method, report it by then — for a facility discharging to surface water, to groundwater, or to a sewerage authority as a significant indirect user. We map what the permit requires, run the sampling and the DMRs, and respond correctly to anything that changes.
Services
Permit mapping
Monitoring points, parameters, frequencies, methods, reporting deadlines, and special conditions laid out so the facility knows what is due and when, and nothing is discovered for the first time during an inspection.
Sampling and analysis
Schedules tied to the permit; field parameters under our NELAP accreditation and the rest through accredited partner laboratories, under one chain of custody.
Discharge Monitoring Reports
Prepared from reviewed data, checked against limits, and submitted through NJDEP’s electronic reporting on time.
Audits and gap assessments
A fixed-scope review of permit conditions against current practice — documentation, sampling procedures, records, reporting — with findings in plain language and what to fix first.
Exceedances and agency response
Notification windows, the report, the explanation, and the corrective action, connected back to operations so the cause is fixed, not just reported.
Renewals and modifications
Renewal applications started early; modifications when the discharge, the process, or the outfall changes.
New permits
DSW, DGW, or SIU applications for new or changed discharges, coordinated with the Treatment Works Approval where treatment is built or modified.
Applicability
New Jersey administers the federal NPDES program as NJPDES under N.J.A.C. 7:14A. A facility that discharges process wastewater, treated effluent, or other pollutants to a stream, lake, or bay holds a Discharge to Surface Water (DSW) permit; a discharge to the ground — a subsurface disposal bed, a spray-irrigation field, an infiltration-percolation lagoon — holds a Discharge to Ground Water (DGW) permit; a facility discharging to a sewerage authority above its flow or pollutant thresholds, or in a categorical industry, is a Significant Indirect User (SIU) under the authority’s pretreatment program.
Each permit sets monitoring points, parameters, frequencies, and methods; requires Discharge Monitoring Reports on a monthly or quarterly schedule; carries notification duties when a limit is exceeded; and is issued for a term of no more than five years, with the renewal application due at least 180 calendar days before expiration.
Typical situations
- A DMR due and a result that is over its limit
- A renewal due in six months and a permit file nobody has opened since the last one
- An inspection that asked for records the permit required and nobody kept
- A process change that moved a parameter the permit never anticipated
- An SIU permit renewal with new local limits
FAQ
What is the difference between a DSW, a DGW, and an SIU permit?
A Discharge to Surface Water permit covers a discharge to a stream, lake, or bay. A Discharge to Ground Water permit covers a discharge to the ground through a subsurface disposal bed, a spray-irrigation field, or an infiltration-percolation lagoon. A Significant Indirect User permit covers a discharge to a sewerage authority above its flow or pollutant thresholds, or from a categorical industry, under the authority’s pretreatment program. Each sets its own monitoring points, parameters, frequencies, and reports.
When is a DMR due?
On the schedule the permit sets — usually monthly or quarterly — submitted through NJDEP’s electronic reporting system. The results on it come from samples collected at the permit’s monitoring points, at its frequencies, by its methods; a DMR is only as good as the sampling behind it.
What happens when a result is over the limit?
The permit sets the notification duties: for an exceedance that may endanger health or the environment, an oral report within 24 hours and a written report within five days; every exceedance is reported on the DMR with an explanation. Then the cause is found and corrected, and the correction is documented so the next inspection finds the matter closed.
When should a renewal application be filed?
At least 180 calendar days before the permit expires. NJPDES permits are issued for terms of no more than five years, and a complete, timely renewal application keeps the existing permit’s conditions in force if NJDEP has not reissued the permit by the expiration date.
Does a new or modified treatment system need its own approval?
Building or modifying treatment works generally requires a Treatment Works Approval from NJDEP before construction, and a change in the discharge, the process, or the outfall can require a permit modification. We coordinate the two so the approval, the permit, and the construction schedule line up.
Have a discharge permit, a DMR, a sample result, or a letter you’re not sure how to answer?
Tell us what you’re facing. We’ll look at the permit, the site, and the deadline, and tell you what it will take.