NPDES Permits and Water Quality Studies
Omni believes in the practical approach to determining appropriate effluent limitations. The degree of analysis necessary to arrive at the limitations should be consistent with the potential for environmental impairment. The final recommended effluent limitations should be cost effective, realistically achievable, and protective of environmental quality. A complete study will require some or all of the following aspects:
Work plans prepared by Omni have incorporated a variety of techniques, including chemical-specific monitoring, biological monitoring, and dye studies. The studies have ranged from intensive short-term water quality monitoring studies to long-term seasonally-varying water quality monitoring studies and biological monitoring studies. We have also conducted studies to assess mixing characteristics in tidally-influenced waterways and to measure aeration in streams. Data analysis and water quality modeling are specialties of Omni. Omni is a leader in the field in conducting deterministic and statistical modeling analyses, and performed the first application of probabilistic modeling for establishing effluent limitations in the State of New Jersey. Omni also offers dischargers assistance in completing and submitting the required discharge monitoring reports (DMRs) to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Using site-specific software that incorporates tracking with Microsoft Excel, Omni is able to develop a tool that greatly reduces the time and effort spent preparing monthly, quarterly and semi-annual DMR submittal requirements, as well as eliminating the possibility for calculation and transcription errors. Whether permission is being sought for a new discharge, a renewal of an existing discharge, or a modification of an existing permit limitation, it is our purpose to prescribe a scope of study which is only as detailed as is necessary to achieve the objectives of our client.
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Federal and state statutes require that all dischargers obtain permits stipulating terms and conditions for controlling the release of contaminants to the environment. Key aspects of the discharge permit include its table of effluent limitations and monitoring requirements. The allowable level of discharge of various contaminants as prescribed by the permit's effluent limitations is referred to as the wasteload allocation. In today's regulatory climate, defining the appropriate wasteload allocation for a particular facility is not always a simple matter.
