Environmental Regulations & Policy Flashcards
7 cards from real CSM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Environmental Regulations & Policy flashcards as text
A construction site operator receives a notice that their project is within a 'water quality impaired' watershed. How does this affect their CGP requirements?
Answer: They may face more stringent effluent limits or additional BMPs
Construction sites in impaired watersheds may be subject to more stringent requirements, including limits or additional BMPs to prevent further degradation of already-impaired receiving waters.
Which of the following is NOT one of the six minimum control measures required of regulated small MS4s under the Phase II NPDES rules?
Answer: Groundwater recharge monitoring
The six minimum control measures for small MS4s include public education, public participation, illicit discharge detection, construction site runoff control, post-construction management, and pollution prevention/good housekeeping — not groundwater recharge monitoring.
What is the primary regulatory purpose of requiring 'Notices of Termination' (NOTs) under the Construction General Permit?
Answer: To formally end permit coverage when stabilization is achieved
A Notice of Termination formally ends CGP coverage once a construction site has achieved final stabilization and all stormwater controls are no longer needed.
Under the Clean Water Act, a 'water of the United States' (WOTUS) determination affects stormwater management because it defines what?
Answer: The geographic scope of federal jurisdiction over surface waters
The WOTUS definition determines which water bodies fall under federal CWA jurisdiction, directly affecting whether permits are required for stormwater discharges into those waters.
Which document must a regulated industrial facility maintain on-site under the EPA Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP)?
Answer: A Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP)
MSGP-covered facilities must develop and implement a SWPPP that identifies pollutant sources and the BMPs used to reduce pollutants in stormwater discharges.
A stormwater manager discovers that sanitary sewage is entering the storm drain system. Under MS4 permit requirements, this represents what type of violation?
Answer: An illicit discharge
Sanitary sewage entering the storm drain system constitutes an illicit discharge — a non-stormwater discharge that is prohibited under MS4 NPDES permit requirements.
Which regulatory requirement mandates that states review and potentially revise their water quality standards at least every three years?
Answer: The Triennial Review under CWA Section 303(c)
CWA Section 303(c) requires states to review and, if appropriate, revise their water quality standards at least once every three years — known as the Triennial Review.