Wisconsin State Overview

The state of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources were granted delegated authority by the EPA to administer their own “State-Specific” National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permitting Program for wastewater and stormwater discharges associated with construction activity, industrial activity as well as Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) activity. Because the EPA and The Clean Water Act (CWA) required a program for addressing the pollution caused by stormwater discharges, the Wisconsin DNR instituted the Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) Stormwater Program. The purpose of the Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Stormwater Program is to prevent stormwater and wastewater runoff from washing harmful pollutants into surface waters (streams, rivers, lakes or coastal waters) of the state of Wisconsin.

As per the requirements of the WPDES, any construction project owner or operator whose project will incorporate “construction activities” (clearing, grading and excavation) that: (1) disturb one acre or more of land; or (2) disturb less than one acre but are part of a larger plan of development or sale; and (3) involve the implementation of discharges of pit/trench dewatering (dewatering of construction pits, sewer extension construction, pipe trenches) are required to submit a Water Resources Application for Project Permits (WRAPP) to obtain construction site stormwater permit coverage from the Wisconsin DNR.

The owner or operator of the construction project is also required by the Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) to include the following with his/her WRAPP: (1) an Erosion and Sediment Control Plan (ESCP) and (2) a Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP). The Erosion and Sediment Control Plan is to be a description of appropriate erosion and sediment control BMPs that will be installed and maintained at the construction site to prevent pollutants from reaching waters of the State. The Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP) is to include a description of the BMPs that will be installed during the construction process to control total suspended solids and peak flow, enhance infiltration, maintain or restore protective areas and to reduce petroleum in runoff that will occur after construction operations have been completed.