The Final National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) General Permit for Remediation Activity Discharges – the Remediation General Permit (RGP) in Massachusetts (MAG910000) and New Hampshire (NHG910000) was signed on March 9, 2017. The RGP is effective 30 days after the date of signature, on April 8, 2017. The final RGP replaces the RGP that expired on September 9, 2015. The 120-day period for seeking judicial review will begin at 1:00 pm Eastern Standard Time on March 23, 2017, in accordance with 40 C.F.R. Part 23. Under section 509(b) of the Clean Water Act, judicial review of this general permit can be requested by filing a petition for review in a United States Court of Appeals by July 21, 2017.

The RGP is available for sites located in Massachusetts and New Hampshire which discharge 1.0 million gallons per day or less as a result of remediation activities from eight general categories: 1) Petroleum-related site remediation; 2) Non-petroleum-related site remediation; 3) Contaminated/formerly contaminated site dewatering; 4) Pipeline and tank dewatering; 5) Aquifer pump testing; 6) Well development/rehabilitation; 7) Collection structure dewatering/remediation; and 8) Dredge-related dewatering.

Operators seeking authorization to discharge must submit a complete and accurate Notice of Intent (NOI) in accordance with Appendix IV – Part 1 as follows:

• Operators of existing discharges must submit a NOI no later than ninety (90) days after the effective date of this general permit.
• Operators of emergency discharges must submit a NOI no later than fourteen (14) days after the discharges commence.
• Operators of new discharges must submit a NOI at least seven (7) days prior to the commencement of discharges.

An operator will be authorized to discharge under the RGP upon the effective date indicated in the authorization to discharge provided by EPA in writing, unless provisional coverage for an emergency discharge applies.

The RGP is available through the links below. Additional resources, including suggested formats for electronic submittals, are also provided.

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• Pre-Publication Federal Register Notice (PDF) (5 pp, 708 K)
• Remediation General Permit (PDF) (53 pp, 942 K)
• Appendix I: Endangered Species Act Guidance and Eligibility Criteria (PDF) (11 pp, 332 K)
• Appendix II: Summary of Endangered Species Act Listings and Essential Fish Habitat Designations (PDF) (7 pp, 280 K)
• Appendix III: National Historic Preservation Act Review and Requirements (PDF) (4 pp, 104 K)
• Appendix IV:
  • Part 1 - Notice of Intent (NOI) Instructions (PDF) (13 pp, 208 K)
    and Suggested Format (PDF) (11 pp, 195 K)
    Additional Resource: Fillable Electronic Format (PDF) (11 pp, 987 K)
  • Part 2 - Notice of Change (NOC) Instructions (PDF) (5 pp, 157 K)
    and Suggested Format (PDF) (3 pp, 96 K)
    Additional Resource: Fillable Electronic Format (PDF) (3 pp, 607 K)
  • Part 3 - Notice of Termination (NOT) Instructions (PDF) (2 pp, 139 K)
    and Suggested Format (PDF) (2 pp, 86 K)
    Additional Resource: Fillable Electronic Format (PDF) (2 pp, 597 K)
• Appendix V: Dilution Factor and Effluent Limitation Calculations for Massachusetts (PDF) (4 pp, 179 K)
  Additional Resource: Fillable Electronic Format [Revised] (XLSX) (14 K)
• Appendix VI: Dilution Factor and Effluent Limitation Calculations for New Hampshire (PDF) (4 pp, 184 K)
  Additional Resource: Fillable Electronic Format [Revised] (XLSX) (14 K)
• Appendix VII: Test Methods and Minimum Levels (PDF) (7 pp, 146 K)
  Additional Resource: Selecting Sufficiently Sensitive Test Methods for RGP NOI Sampling Requirements (PDF) (4 pp, 69 K)
• Appendix VIII: Discharge Monitoring Data Instructions (PDF) (2 pp, 87 K)
  and Suggested Format (PDF) (1 pg, 95 K)
  Additional Resource: Fillable Electronic Format (XLSX) (146 K)
• Appendix IX: Standard Conditions and Definitions (PDF) (17 pp, 227 K)
• Attachment A: Whole Effluent Toxicity Test Procedure and Protocol for Freshwater (PDF) (2 pp, 55 K) and Marine (PDF) (2 pp, 55 K) Discharges
• Remediation General Permit Fact Sheet (PDF) (145 pp, 1.1 MB)
• Response to Public Comments to (PDF) (25 pp, 301 K)

Helpful Information and Links

• Endangered Species
  • EPA's RGP Effects Analysis for Listed Species and Critical Habitat (PDF) (127 pp, 1.4 MB)
• National Register of Historic Places
• Massachusetts Water Quality Standards
• New Hampshire Water Quality Regulations
• NetDMR Support Portal
• EPA Region 1 Dewatering General Permit
• Construction Activity General Permits Flow Chart (PDF) (2 pp, 648 K) Updated April, 2018
• Frequently Asked Questions for the RGP (available soon)
• Best Management Practices Plan Outline (DOCX) (6 pp, 51 K)

2005 and 2010 Remediation General Permits

EPA Contacts

Application & Technical Questions: Shauna Little (little.shauna@epa.gov); telephone: 617-918-1989; Mail Code: OEP06-1

Verbal & Written Notifications: Neil Handler (handler.neil@epa.gov); telephone: 617-918-1334; Mail Code: OES04-4

State Contacts

Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
Cathy Vakalopoulos (Catherine.Vakalopoulos@state.ma.us); telephone: 617-348-4026

New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
Hayley Franz (Hayley.Franz@des.nh.gov); telephone: 603-271-0671

Notices

Notices of Intent (NOI) will be posted on this page for a minimum of seven (7) days after EPA receives them. A chronological listing of recent NOIs appear in the table below. Older NOIs are listed in the Remediation General Permit (RGP) NOI archive. EPA will also post Notices of Termination (NOT), and Notices of Change (NOC), if received.

JSON Listing of NOIs for 2017 Remediation General Permit (MA & NH)