Oklahoma State Overview

The state of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) were delegated all the responsibilities for stormwater discharges associated with construction and industrial sites in 1997. For those activities, all project site owners or operators were responsible for adhering to the state permitting process which was conducted according to the rules established under the Oklahoma Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (OPDES).             

To date, Oklahoma Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (OPDES) offers two types of general permits which grant the authority to a project site owner or operator to discharge stormwater or other associated wastewater into State water bodies:     

• The Baseline Industrial General Permit (BIGP) applies to discharges associated with industrial activities. The BIGP covers all industrial facilities except those covered under Construction General Permit.

• The Construction General Permit allowed discharges associated with construction activities on project sites that disturb one (1) or more acres of land  or if the project disturbs less than one (1) acre but is part of a larger plan of development or sale.

A project site operator or owner can obtain permit coverage on his/her construction project if he/she: (1) meet all site eligibility requirements; (2) develop a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWP3) covering an entire or partially owned area of the construction project; (3) submit a Notice of Intent (NOI); and (4) submit a copy of the Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWP3) with the Notice of Intent (NOI).