N.J. Admin. Code § 7:14A-25.2

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 17, September 3, 2024

Section 7:14A-25.2 - Identifying municipalities, public complexes, and highways or other thoroughfares regulated under the small MS4 program

(a) A NJPDES permit is required for the stormwater discharges to surface water or groundwater identified in (a)1 through 4 below. The operating entities for those discharges shall apply for a NJPDES permit in accordance with 7:14A-25.4(a) and 25.5(a).

1. Tier A municipalities: All stormwater discharges from small MS4s that are owned or operated by and located in a municipality that is assigned to Tier A under 7:14A-25.3(a)1;

2. Public complexes: All stormwater discharges from small MS4s that are owned or operated by a county, State, interstate, or Federal agency at a "public complex" located entirely or partially in a municipality that is assigned to Tier A under 7:14A-25.3(a)1, or in a municipality that receives a waiver under (d) below. For purposes of this subsection, a "public complex" is a single lot (or two or more lots that are contiguous or on a college or university campus) which contains at least two buildings owned or operated by the same governmental entity, and:

i. Is at a campus of a college or university which Statewide has a combined total of at least 1,000 employees (usually present at least six hours per day on weekdays) or full-time students; or

ii. Is at any other public facility (for example, a military base, hospital, prison, or general administration facility), and has a combined total of at least 1,000 employees, military personnel, or residents (including patients or prisoners) usually present at least six hours per day on weekdays.

3. Highways or other thoroughfares: All stormwater discharges from small MS4s that are owned or operated by a county, State, interstate, or Federal agency at a highway or other thoroughfare (including a maintenance or service facility or rest area for such a thoroughfare). For purposes of this subsection, a "highway or other thoroughfare" does not include:

i. Any thoroughfare confined to the grounds of a single building, or of two or more buildings that are not a "public complex" as described under (a)2 above (unless that building(s) is a maintenance or service facility for a highway or other thoroughfare not confined to such grounds);

ii. Any thoroughfare confined to the grounds of a "public complex" (each such thoroughfare is instead considered part of the "public complex"); or

iii. Any thoroughfare (other than the Palisades Interstate Parkway) confined to an officially designated park, forest, recreational area, natural area, wildlife management area, or area set aside for water supply protection.

4. Special designations: All of the following stormwater discharges from municipal separate storm sewers (which for purposes of this paragraph does not include "large" or "medium" municipal separate storm sewer systems, or separate storm sewers in very discrete areas, such as individual buildings):

i. All stormwater discharges from municipal separate storm sewers that the Department designates as "small MS4s that contribute substantially to the pollutant loadings of a physically interconnected municipal separate storm sewer that requires a NJPDES permit" under this subsection, or under 7:14A-24.2(a)5, 7 or 9;

ii. All stormwater discharges that are from municipal separate storm sewers, and that are designated under 7:14A-24.2(a)7 or 9;

iii. All stormwater discharges that are from municipal separate storm sewers, and that are determined to require a NJPDES permit in response to a petition under 7:14A-24.3;

iv. All stormwater discharges whose operating entity is granted a waiver under (d) below, but that are subsequently determined to require a NJPDES permit under (e) below; and

v. All stormwater discharges from municipal separate storm sewers designated by USEPA under 40 C.F.R. 123.35(b).

(b) Each municipality that is assigned to Tier B under 7:14A-25.3(a)2, and that operates a small MS4 that discharges to surface water or groundwater, shall apply for the Tier B Municipal Stormwater General Permit under N.J.A.C. 7:14A-25.8.

(c) All stormwater discharges to surface water or groundwater that are from small MS4s but not identified under (a) or (b) above are exempt from the requirement to obtain a NJPDES permit from the Department, except as provided in 7:14A-8.3, Prohibition of underground injection.

(d) The duty to obtain a permit under section 402 of the Federal Act ( 33 U.S.C. § 1342) is waived for all operating entities for each small MS4 that is:

1. Owned or operated by and located in a municipality that is assigned to Tier B under 7:14A-25.3(a)2; and

2. Located within an urbanized area as determined by the 2000 Decennial Census by the Bureau of the Census or a subsequent and superseding Decennial Census.

3. This waiver applies solely to stormwater discharges from the small MS4s meeting the criteria at (d)1 and 2 above to surface waters of the State, and is subject to (e) below. This waiver does not exempt any Tier B municipality from the duty to obtain the Tier B Municipal Stormwater General Permit where required under (b) above.

4. The Department shall publish in the New Jersey Register a notice of administrative change revising (as appropriate under this subsection or (e) below) the list of municipalities in the table below, and shall mail notice of such revision to the affected municipality(ies) and county(ies). Each notice under this subsection shall identify the reason for the revision. The list in this table is for informational purposes only. Any person may obtain the most current list of municipalities to which the waiver applies and which are assigned to Tier B from the Department's Division of Water Quality, Bureau of Nonpoint Pollution Control at PO Box 029, Trenton, New Jersey 08625, or from the Division's website (http://www.state.nj.us/dep/dwq).

Municipalities to which Waiver Applies and which Are Assigned to Tier B

Atlantic County

Estell Manor City

Bergen County

Ridgefield Park Village

Rockleigh Borough

Teterboro Borough

Burlington County

Chesterfield Township

Fieldsboro Borough

Springfield Township

Camden County

Pine Valley Borough

Tavistock Borough

Cumberland County

Deerfield Township

Gloucester County

Elk Township

Woolwich Township

Hudson County

Hoboken City

Hunterdon County

Bethlehem Township

Bloomsbury Borough

East Amwell Township

Franklin Township

Lebanon Township

Tewksbury Township

Union Township

West Amwell Township

Monmouth County

Interlaken Borough

Upper Freehold Township

Morris County

Harding Township

Salem County

Oldmans Township

Upper Pittsgrove Township

Somerset County

Far Hills Borough

Millstone Borough

Rocky Hill Borough

Sussex County

Andover Borough

Fredon Township

Warren County

Allamuchy Township

Harmony Township

(e) The waiver under (d) above is based on the fact that the small MS4s identified do not have any of the characteristics set forth in (e)1 or 2 below, and based on the presumption that those small MS4s are of such minimal extent and serve such a small population that none of their stormwater discharges have any of the characteristics set forth in (e)3i through iii below. An operating entity to which the waiver applies may subsequently be required to apply for a NJPDES permit under (a) above if circumstances change. The Department shall require any operating entity to which the waiver applies to apply for a NJPDES permit under (a) above for a stormwater discharge from that entity's small MS4 if:

1. The municipality in which the small MS4 is located is reassigned from Tier B to Tier A in accordance with 7:14A-25.3(a)1 (for a reason other than the review under this subsection of the operating entity's waiver);

2. That stormwater discharge is identified under (a)4ii, iii or v above (special designations); or

3. Information specific to the small MS4 demonstrates to the Department's satisfaction that the stormwater discharge from the small MS4:

i. Contributes substantially to the pollutant loadings of a physically interconnected MS4 (see (a)4i above) that requires a NJPDES permit under (a) above;

ii. Contains a pollutant(s) for which stormwater controls have been established as part of a USEPA approved or established "total maximum daily load" (TMDL) that addresses the pollutant(s) of concern; or

iii. Requires an individual UIC permit under 7:14A-8.5(d).

(f) Whenever a NJPDES permit is required under (a)4 above (special designations), or a municipality is assigned to Tier A under 7:14A-25.3(a)1 v, the Department shall notify the operating entity in writing of the reasons for such a determination, and shall include instructions on how to apply for a NJPDES permit.

1. If the operating entity applies for an individual NJPDES permit in response to such notice, comment regarding the appropriateness of the initial determination may be received during the public comment period under 7:14A-15.11 and in any subsequent hearing, unless the reason for that determination was a decision made by USEPA under 40 C.F.R. 122.26(a)(9)(i)(C) or (a)(9)(i)(D), or under 40 C.F.R. 123.35(b) or (c).

2. If the operating entity is a municipality that has applied for or received authorization under the Tier B Municipal Stormwater General Permit (see 7:14A-25.8) , the applicable requirements of 7:14A-6.13 shall also be followed.

N.J. Admin. Code § 7:14A-25.2