On September 24, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy signed a final rule that will require holders of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits to file most permitting and compliance monitoring reports electronically. In addition to making the NPDES reporting and record keeping processes much more efficient, EPA estimates that the electronic reporting requirements will collectively save states and territories administering NPDES programs more than $22 million per year.
The electronic reporting requirements will be phased in over a five-year period, starting 60 days after the rule is published in the Federal Register (expected sometime in October). Additional information on the rule is available through EPA’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Electronic Reporting Rule webpage.