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NJDEP training reviews MS4 permit framework and recent NJAC stormwater rule changes
Summary
A New Jersey DEP training session reviewed the federal NPDES foundation, state implementation through NJPDES/NJAC 7:8, the six minimum control measures for MS4 permittees, and key design and performance standards including updated volumetric and TSS requirements. (Module 1 of a multi-part course.)
Lisa Schafer, a presenter in the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's stormwater training, said the state's MS4 permitting program traces back to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948 and the Clean Water Act amendments that created the NPDES program. "NPDES authorized EPA to regulate discharges into the nation's waters," she said, and New Jersey implements those requirements through its own NJPDES program.
Schafer outlined the six minimum control measures that MS4 permittees must include in their programs and told attendees that New Jersey's MS4 permits require the same six minimum standards (public involvement, education and outreach, construction runoff controls, post-construction stormwater management, pollution prevention and good housekeeping, and MS4 mapping/illicit-discharge detection). She warned that compliance audits can now be paired with enforcement: "The department can now issue a notice of violation for an instance of noncompliance with the permit requirements," Schafer said.
The training emphasized that post-construction stormwater management programs must be adopted into municipal planning documents and enforced through a stormwater control ordinance (SCO). Schafer noted rule citations and deadlines introduced in recent amendments and directed reviewers to consult their local SCO and the permit text for specifics.
Why it matters: MS4 permit requirements set baseline obligations for municipalities, public complexes and highway agencies to reduce polluted runoff. Noncompliance can trigger enforcement actions and financial penalties under the Clean Water Act.
The presentation also covered how New Jersey's rules incorporate design storms (2-, 10- and 100-year events), precipitation adjustment factors to update outdated rainfall data, and the role of the BMP manual in aligning design and performance standards with regulatory text. Schafer said the training is required for permit reviewers and that the department will make guidance materials and templates available online.
The session concluded with a reminder that completion of all four training modules and their quizzes is required to receive a certificate of completion and continuing professional competency credits, and that quiz review will be held in a later module.
