Typical DEP Permits and Authorizations At-a-Glance

The Division of Compliance Assistance (DCA) has published a new document that covers the major permits and authorizations typically issued by the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection (DEP).  The At-a-Glance document provides information on understanding permits and the most common permits and authorizations issued by the Division for Air Quality, Division of Waste Management and Division of Water. In addition, DEP-wide resources that have been developed by DCA are included in the document, including fact sheets on Kentucky Certification Programs and Construction and Demolition Activities.

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Coal General Permit Training Scheduled

The Kentucky Division of Water (DOW) will host training sessions for new coal general permits and the application process. The training sessions will be held on four dates, beginning on Oct. 2, and in four locations. For a list of dates, times and locations for this training, click here. Please note that the reservation form must be completed and returned at least two days in advance of the session you plan to attend.

Blue Grass Army Depot and Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant: Public Meeting

Blue Grass Army Depot and Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant: Class 3 Hazardous Waste Storage and Treatment Permit Modification Request, Addition of EDT, and Public Meeting

The Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP) has selected an explosive destruction technology (EDT) system to safely destroy the mustard stockpile deemed unsuitable for processing through the main pilot plant. Because solidification of the mustard agent was found in a significant number of mustard projectiles, rendering them unsuitable for the automated neutralization process, the EDT system will be employed to destroy the entire Blue Grass mustard stockpile and two Department of Transportation 3A bottles containing mustard to augment the main pilot plant destruction process.

Division of Water re-issues industrial stormwater general permit

The Kentucky Division of Water (DOW) has re-issued the Kentucky Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (KPDES) general permit regulating stormwater runoff associated with industrial activity. The general permit will go into effect June 1, 2013.

The “Industrial Stormwater Permit for Other Facilities” (KYR00) is available for facilities that are required to obtain a KPDES permit for the discharge of stormwater runoff associated with industrial activity. In order to obtain coverage under this general permit, the facility must meet certain eligibility requirements and submit to DOW an electronic Notice of Intent (eNOI). This general permit will apply to more than 1,000
facilities in the Commonwealth. The eNOI for this permit can be accessed at https://dep.gateway.ky.gov/eForms/Default.aspx?FormID=30.

The general permit establishes

Online Tool Released to Determine NetDMR Due Date

The Department for Environmental Protection (DEP) has released a new online tool to help KPDES (wastewater) permittees determine when they must begin submitting their Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs) electronically using NetDMR. DEP anticipates moving all permittees that require DMR submission to NetDMR by mid-2014. As permits are renewed, permit languages will be modified to reflect these new requirements and permittees will receive a notification letter from the Department of Water specifying the date of transition. DEP encourages permittees to go ahead and search for their NetDMR due date and sign up for a NetDMR test account to practice submissions. NetDMR is a web-based application that allows permittees to electronically sign and submit DMRs. Switching to NetDMR will result in reduced paperwork, increased efficiency and improved data quality.

The new search tool can be found at

Understanding Self-Audit Privileges

We all might try to be perfect when it comes to environmental compliance, but in reality, it is unlikely that anyone is 100 percent perfect all of the time. If your facility has an environmental management plan (EMP), then environmental auditing practices are not a new concept. Even without an EMP, routinely auditing facility practices against permit or regulatory conditions is a good proactive measure and can potentially save you money.

Under Kentucky statute, regulated entities are given an incentive to voluntarily disclose violations discovered during an environmental audit. In general, if an entity chooses to voluntarily disclose, the cabinet does not seek a civil penalty given the following conditions are met:

1. The owner or operator has made voluntary disclosure to the cabinet of the voluntary discovery of the violation;
2. The owner or operator has corrected the violation within sixty (60) days of voluntary discovery or other time period approved by the cabinet;
3. The owner or operator has agreed, in writing, to take steps to prevent a recurrence of the violation;
4. The specific violation, or closely related violation, has not occurred within

DEP Issues a “Frequently Asked Questions” Document Addressing the Existing Kentucky KPDES Coal General Permit

The Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection finalized a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document on Feb. 1, 2013, with respect to the current KPDES general permit (KYG040000) for wastewater discharges from coal mining operations.

The FAQ document is an aid available to the coal mining industry with clear explanations of topics critical for complying with the requirements under the Kentucky Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.  Among the topics the FAQ discusses are how to