Abstract
This research is designed to evaluate effectiveness of current regulations for control of pollutants in stormwater runoff from industrial facilities, and resulting efforts by the regulated community to reduce pollutants. For three targeted municipalities, the research first assesses the approximated proportion of industrial facilities that have recognized their duty to comply since the promulgation of permits under NPDES in the early 1990s. The research examines the proportion of facilities subject to regulations that have filed Notice of Intent (NOI) and the number of new NOIs filed each year since the regulations took effect in 1992. Then, the research determines for each municipality the industry types with the greatest number of NOIs filed. The purpose of these analyses is to characterize trends and patterns of compliance by industrial facilities within the regions, in order that future efforts may attempt to link those trends with observed water quality changes in the targeted municipalities. The total number of facilities in compliance can be influenced by unique facility types in different regions; by the diligence of regulatory and outreach effects by state and local agencies in different regions; and various other factors. The method is based on databases containing industrial facility compliance information. In this way, the research evaluates the relative effectiveness of municipal programs at achieving the pollutant reduction goals of the storm water NPDES regulations.
