General Industry & Business

Best Management Practices For:

General Industry, Business Owners, Manufacturing, Chemical Distributors and Manufacturers, and Warehouse Operators.

Activities that take place at industrial facilities, such as material handling and storage, are often exposed to storm water. The runoff from these activities discharges industrial pollutants into nearby storm sewer systems and water bodies. This may adversely impact water quality.

Begin Advanced Planning to Prevent Pollution - Commercial

  • Change or modify processes to eliminate or reduce the production of hazardous waste.
  • Designate specific storage areas away from storm drain systems for storing equipment and hazardous materials.
  • Practice source reduction by ordering only the amount of hazardous materials that are needed to finish the project.
  • Educate your employees and subcontractors about stormwater management requirements and their pollution prevention responsibilities.
  • Control the amount of surface runoff from parking lots and open areas at your facility by impeding internally generated flows and using berms or drainage ditches to trap or decrease the flow from your site. NOTE: Consult local drainage policies for more information

Obtain a General Industrial Activities Stormwater Permit:

The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) requires all industrial facilities that have a Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code or meets the narrative description listed in 11 categories, or that discharge waste water associated with industrial activities into receiving waters (e.g., wetlands, creeks, unnamed creeks, rivers, marine waters, ditches, estuaries), and/or storm drains that discharge to a receiving water of the State of Nevada must obtain a general or an individual NPDES industrial storm water permit and develop a storm water pollution prevention plan.

Visit the following NDEP websites to obtain more detailed information about the General Permit for stormwater discharges associated with Industrial Activity:

  • SIC Codes: List of SIC codes and the 11 categories of "stormwater discharges associated with industrial activity".

Implement Best Management Practices-Industrial

The following Best Management Practices (BMPs) can significantly reduce pollutant discharges from your industrial site. Compliance with stormwater regulations can be as simple as minimizing stormwater contact with potential pollutants and implementing the following good housekeeping practices at your facility.

  • Do not hose down your shop floor into streets or parking lots. It is best to dry sweep regularly.
  • To reduce or eliminate the generation of waste, fix sources of drips or leaks where possible and regularly replace worn seals on equipment.
  • Prepare and use easy to find spill containment and cleanup kits. Include safety equipment and cleanup materials appropriate to the type and quantity of materials that could spill.
  • Use a funnel when pouring liquids and place a tray underneath to catch spills. Place drip pans under the spouts of liquid storage containers.
  • Clean up spills immediately using dry clean up methods (e.g., absorbent materials such as cat litter, sand or rags for liquid spills, and by removing the contaminated soil from spills on dirt areas.
  • Practice proper waste disposal. Many industrial waste fluids, including solvents, water-based paint, used oil and coolants can be recycled. Materials that cannot be recycled must be taken to an appropriate landfill or disposed of as hazardous waste.
  • Cover open dumpsters with secured tarps or plastic sheeting. Never clean out a dumpster by washing it down.
  • Provide covers and secondary containment for outdoor storage of hazardous materials.
  • Ensure loading docks are covered and have adequate secondary containment to trap spills and leaks that may occur during loading and unloading operations.
  • Examples of Good BMP Implementation
Back to BMP