All persons subject to an industrial National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit must comply with all provisions of the permit. Proof of compliance with said permit may be required in a form acceptable to Austell Public Works Stormwater Management prior to allowing discharges to the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System.
Highly Visible Pollutant Sources and Illicit Discharges
Random evaluations of businesses within the City of Austell are conducted. During each inspection, the findings are documented, and any enforcement action(s) the City has taken against the business is also documented. The City is focusing its inspection and enforcement efforts on the following types of businesses, but not limited to:
- Commercial washing and detailing operations
- Laundromats and dry cleaners
- Mobile pressure washing operations
- Motor vehicle sales lots
- Auto repair shops
- Gasoline service stations
- Fast food restaurants
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System stormwater discharge permits are required for industries covered under subchapter N of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations. These industries are defined by the Standard Industrial Classification Codes and Activity Codes for United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Multi-Sector General Permit for Industrial Activity. The list includes the four-digit SIC code level along with the official description.
Inspections of all businesses are conducted annually and are prioritized according to land use of the industry. Inspections include a review of the facility's paperwork to make sure they are in compliance with their recordkeeping and then a tour of the facility is conducted. Items that we look for during the inspection are how clean the system is. If the facility has drains inside the building that drains outside the building, then the surrounding is checked to make sure that no leakage has occurred and that there are measures in place that in the event of a spill nothing gets into the drain.
Facilities that are found with violations are given thirty (30) days to correct. A second inspection will be conducted to make sure the violations have been corrected. Violations not corrected generally are given a written warning, depending on the severity of the violation. Major violations are reported to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division immediately.