DEP Pilot Project to Speed Up Processing Time for NPDES Permits 

The state Department of Environmental Protection announced a 10-county pilot program designed to accelerate the review process for construction stormwater discharge permits. DEP claims that program will reduce the average processing time for Chapter 102 Individual National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit applications by 73 days.  

The pilot will take place in Allegheny, Beaver, Bucks, Chester, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, and York Counties and conservation districts in these counties will accept up to three individual NPDES permit applications per quarter for consideration in the pilot program. The pilot will include pre-application meetings, a DEP assessment of the application’s completeness, and applicants must have a licensed professional prepare the stormwater plan and retain that professional throughout the project. To read the press release, click here. To read more about the pilot program, click here.