TCEQ previews several general‑permit renewals and amendments including aquaculture and concrete patch permits
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Summary
TCEQ staff summarized proposed renewals and amendments to multiple general permits — aquaculture (TXG130000), Evaporation Pond (WQG100000), Conventional Water Treatment (TXG640000), Concrete Patch (TXG11000000) and the Pesticides permit — with changes ranging from wastewater definitions to new effluent limits and updated monitoring and reporting requirements.
TCEQ staff offered a consolidated update on several general permits during the advisory group meeting, describing substantive changes and timelines.
On the aquaculture permit (TXG130000), Shannon Gibson said TCEQ proposed amendments that explicitly include washdown and processing water from modern oyster mariculture equipment and allow certain mariculture cleaning in or over state waters; EPA returned approval on 05/27/2025. The Evaporation Pond permit (WQG100000) was adopted at the commissioners’ agenda on 08/06/2025 and became effective 09/15/2025; existing permittees have 90 days to submit a new NOI under the reissued permit (deadline listed as 12/14/2025).
For conventional water treatment (TXG640000), Gibson said the permit was adopted on 09/10/2025 and became effective 10/12/2025; the 90‑day NOI window rolled forward to 01/12/2026. Notable changes include a new daily maximum effluent limit requiring dechlorinated discharges to be below 0.1 mg/L total chlorine residual when chlorination is used for disinfection.
The Concrete Patch permit (TXG11000000) amendments include requiring permittees to submit copies of NOIs/NOCs/NOTs to the local MS4 immediately after filing with TCEQ, expanding recommended whole effluent toxicity test species (adding Ceriodaphnia dubia for freshwater and clarifying Mysid species for marine testing), requiring certified and on‑site Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans (SWP3), and new certified annual compliance inspection report contents and deadlines for corrective actions.
Brian (speaker 3) provided an update on the Pesticides general permit (TXG870000), which aligns with EPA’s NPDES pesticide permit requirements and adds pre/post application visual evaluation documentation, additional monitoring for level 1a operators, and pesticide discharge management plan requirements under 30 TAC 305.44. TCEQ anticipates public notice and comment windows for several of these permits in the coming months.
