The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized its rule requiring Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) users to electronically report data.
States will have time to transition from paper reporting to electronic reporting. Most facilities subject to effluent monitoring requirements will be required to begin submitting data electronically one year following the publication of the final rule. Facilities with stormwater or other general reporting obligations will have longer, up to five years from the publication of the final rule, depending on how long states take to complete the transition to electronic reporting.
This rule is part of EPA’s Next Generation Compliance strategy, aimed at using technology and other innovative approaches to achieve compliance. The reported data will be available to the public through EPA’s website.
EPA estimates that electronic reporting will result in a $24.3 million savings to regulators and regulated entities.
The final rule is expected to be published in the Federal Register in October.
