17.30.1102    DEFINITIONS

In this subchapter, the following terms have the meanings or interpretations indicated below and shall be used in conjunction with and are supplemental to those definitions contained in 75-5-103, MCA. If not defined in this rule, terms used in this subchapter have the meanings set out in the definitions in ARM Title 17, chapter 30, subchapter 13.

(1) "Best management practices (BMPs) " means schedules of activities, prohibitions of practices, maintenance procedures, and other management practices to prevent or reduce the pollution of state waters.  BMPs also include treatment requirements, operating procedures, and practices to control plant site runoff, spillage or leaks, sludge or waste disposal, or drainage from raw material storage.

(2) "Discharge of a pollutant" and "discharge of pollutants" each means any addition of any pollutant or combination of pollutants to state waters from any point source. This definition includes additions of pollutants into water of the state from surface runoff that is collected or channeled by man and discharges through pipes, sewers, or other conveyances owned by a state, municipality, or other person that do not lead to a treatment works.  This term does not include the addition of pollutants by an indirect discharger.

(3) "Discharge monitoring report (DMR) " means the department uniform form for the reporting of self-monitoring results by permittees.

(4) "Facility or activity" means any MPDES point source or any other facility or activity (including land or appurtenances thereto) that is subject to regulation under the MPDES program.

(5) "Final stabilization" means the time at which all soil-disturbing activities at a site have been completed and a vegetative cover has been established with a density of at least 70% of the pre-disturbance levels, or equivalent permanent, physical erosion reduction methods have been employed.  Final stabilization using vegetation must be accomplished using seeding mixtures or forbs, grasses, and shrubs that are adapted to the conditions of the site.  Establishment of a vegetative cover capable of providing erosion control equivalent to pre-existing conditions at the site will be considered final stabilization.

(6) "General permit" means an MPDES permit issued under ARM 17.30.1341 authorizing a category of discharges under the Act within a geographical area.

(7) "Illicit discharge" means any discharge to a municipal separate storm sewer that is not composed entirely of storm water except discharges pursuant to an MPDES permit (other than the MPDES permit for discharges from the municipal separate storm sewer) and discharges resulting from fire fighting activities.

(8) "Infiltration" means water other than wastewater that enters a sewer system (including sewer service connections and foundation drains) from the ground through such means as defective pipes, pipe joints, connections, or manholes.  Infiltration does not include inflow.

(9) "Inflow" means water other than wastewater that enters a sewer system (including sewer service connections) from sources including, but not limited to, roof leaders, cellar drains, yard drains, area drains, drains from springs and swampy areas, manhole covers, cross connections between storm sewers and sanitary sewers, catch basins, cooling towers, storm waters, surface runoff, street wash waters, or drainage.  Inflow does not include infiltration.

(10) "Major municipal separate storm sewer outfall" or "major outfall" means a municipal separate storm sewer outfall that discharges from a single pipe with an inside diameter of 36 inches or more or its equivalent (discharge from a single conveyance other than circular pipe which is associated with a drainage area of more than 50 acres) ; or, for municipal separate storm sewers that receive storm water from lands zoned for industrial activity (based on comprehensive zoning plans or the equivalent) , an outfall that discharges from a single pipe with an inside diameter of 12 inches or more or from its equivalent (discharge from other than a circular pipe associated with a drainage area of two acres or more) .

(11) "Montana pollutant discharge elimination system (MPDES) " means the system developed by the department for issuing permits for the discharge of pollutants from point sources into state waters.  The MPDES is specifically designed to be compatible with the federal NPDES program established and administered by the EPA.

(12) "MS4" means a municipal separate storm sewer system.

(13) "Municipal separate storm sewer" means a conveyance or system of conveyances (including roads with drainage systems, municipal streets, catch basins, curbs, gutters, ditches, man-made channels, or storm drains) that discharges to surface waters and is:

(a) owned or operated by the state of Montana, a governmental subdivision of the state, a district, association, or other public body created by or pursuant to Montana law, including special districts such as sewer districts, flood control districts, drainage districts and similar entities, and designated and approved management agencies under section 208 of the federal Clean Water Act, which has jurisdiction over disposal of sewage, industrial wastes, storm water, or other wastes, and is:

(i) designed or used for collecting or conveying storm water;

(ii) not a combined sewer; and

(iii) not part of a publicly owned treatment works (POTW) as defined in ARM Title 17, chapter 30, subchapter 13.

(14) "Outfall" means a point source, as defined in this subchapter, at the point where a municipal separate storm sewer discharges to surface waters.  The term does not include open conveyances connecting two municipal separate storm sewers, or pipes, tunnels or other conveyances that connect segments of the same stream or other surface waters and that are used to convey surface waters.

(15) "Overburden" means any material of any nature, consolidated or unconsolidated, that overlies a mineral deposit or economically mineable geologic material (e.g., coal) , excluding topsoil or similar naturally occurring surface materials that are not disturbed by mining operations.

(16) "Owner or operator" is defined at 75-5-103, MCA.

(17) "Permit" means an authorization or license issued by EPA or an approved state to implement the requirements of this rule and 40 CFR Parts 123 and 124.  The term includes an NPDES general permit (ARM 17.30.1341) .  The term does not include any permit that has not yet been the subject of final agency action, such as a "draft permit" or a "proposed permit".

(18) "Point source" means any discernible, confined, or discrete conveyance including, but not limited to, any pipe, ditch, channel, tunnel, conduit, well, discrete fissure, container, rolling stock, concentrated animal feeding operation, landfill leachate collection system, vessel or other floating craft, from which pollutants are or may be discharged.  This term does not include return flows from irrigated agriculture or agricultural storm water runoff.

(19) "Pollutant" means dredged spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, sewage, garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, chemical wastes, biological materials, radioactive materials, heat, wrecked or discarded equipment, rock, sand, cellar dirt, and industrial, municipal, and agricultural wastes discharged into water.  The terms "sewage," "industrial waste," and "other wastes" as defined in 75-5-103, MCA, are interpreted as having the same meaning as pollutant.

(20) "Process wastewater" means any water that, during manufacturing or processing, comes into direct contact with or results from the production or use of any raw material, intermediate product, finished product, byproduct, or waste product.

(21) "Runoff coefficient" means the fraction of total rainfall that will appear at a conveyance as runoff.

(22) "Site" means the land or water area where any facility or activity is physically located or conducted, including adjacent land used in connection with the facility or activity.

(23) "Small municipal separate storm sewer system" means:

(a) small MS4s, and portions of them, that are located in the following urbanized areas in Montana as determined by the latest decennial census by the United States census bureau:

(i) the city of Billings and Yellowstone County;   

(ii) the city of Missoula and Missoula County; and

(iii) the city of Great Falls and Cascade County;

(b) the following small MS4s serving a population of at least 10,000 as determined by the latest decennial census by the United States census bureau and that are located outside of an urbanized area:

(i) MS4s located in the city of Bozeman;

(ii) MS4s located in the city of Butte;

(iii) MS4s located in the city of Helena; and

(iv) MS4s located in the city of Kalispell;

(c) MS4s designated by the department pursuant to ARM 17.30.1107; and

(d) systems similar to separate storm sewer systems in municipalities, such as systems at military bases, large educational, hospital or prison complexes, and highways and other thoroughfares.   The term does not include separate storm sewers in very discrete areas, such as individual buildings.

(24) "Small MS4" means a small municipal separate storm sewer system.

(25) "Source" means any building, structure, facility, or installation from which there is or may be a discharge of pollutants.

(26) "State waters" is defined at 75-5-103, MCA.

(27) "Storm water" means storm water runoff, snow melt runoff, and surface runoff and drainage.

(28) "Storm water discharge associated with construction activity" means a discharge of storm water from construction activities including clearing, grading, and excavation that result in the disturbance of equal to or greater than one acre of total land area.   For purposes of these rules, construction activities include clearing, grading, excavation, stockpiling earth materials, and other placement or removal of earth material performed during construction projects.   Construction activity includes the disturbance of less than one acre of total land area that is a part of a larger common plan of development or sale if the larger common plan will ultimately disturb one acre or more.

(a) Regardless of the acreage of disturbance resulting from a construction activity, this definition includes any other discharges from construction activity designated by the department pursuant to ARM 17.30.1105(1 ) ( f) .

(b) For construction activities that result in disturbance of less than five acres of total land area, the acreage of disturbance does not include routine maintenance that is performed to maintain the original line and grade, hydraulic capacity, or original purpose of the facility.

(c) For construction activities that result in disturbance of five acres or more of total land area, this definition includes those requirements and clarifications stated in (29) (a) , (b) , (d) and (e) .

(29) "Storm water discharge associated with industrial activity" means a discharge from any conveyance that is used for collecting and conveying storm water and that is directly related to manufacturing, processing or raw materials storage areas at an industrial plant.

(a) For the categories of industries identified in this definition, the term includes, but is not limited to, storm water discharges from industrial plant yards; immediate access roads and rail lines used or traveled by carriers of raw materials, manufactured products, waste material, or by-products used or created by the facility; material handling sites; refuse sites; sites used for the application or disposal of process wastewaters (as defined in this subchapter) ; sites used for the storage and maintenance of material handling equipment; sites used for residual treatment, storage, or disposal; shipping and receiving areas; manufacturing buildings; storage areas (including tank farms) for raw materials, and intermediate and final products; and areas where industrial activity has taken place in the past and significant materials remain and are exposed to storm water.

(b) For the categories of industries identified in (e) (ix) of this definition, the term includes only storm water discharges from all the areas (except access roads and rail lines) that are listed in the previous sentence where material handling equipment or activities, raw materials, intermediate products, final products, waste materials, by-products, or industrial machinery are exposed to storm water.

(c) For the purposes of this definition, material handling activities include the storage, loading and unloading, transportation, or conveyance of any raw material, intermediate product, finished product, by-product, or waste product.  The term excludes areas located on plant lands separate from the plant's industrial activities, such as office buildings and accompanying parking lots as long as the drainage from the excluded areas is not mixed with storm water drained from the above described areas.

(d) Industrial facilities (including industrial facilities that are federally, state, or municipally owned or operated that meet the description of the facilities listed in (e) (i) through (ix) and (30) ) include those facilities designated under the provisions of ARM 17.30.1105(1) (f) .

(e) The following categories of facilities are considered to be engaging in "industrial activity" for the purposes of this definition:

(i) facilities subject to storm water effluent limitations guidelines, new source performance standards, or toxic pollutant effluent standards under 40 CFR subchapter N (except facilities with toxic pollutant effluent standards that are exempted under category (e) (ix) of this definition) ;

(ii) facilities classified as standard industrial classifications 24 (except 2434) , 26 (except 265 and 267) , 28 (except 283) , 29, 311, 32 (except 323) , 33, 3441, 373;

(iii) hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities, including those that are operating under interim status or a permit under subtitle C of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) ;

(iv) landfills, land application sites, and open dumps that receive or have received any industrial wastes (waste that is received from any of the facilities described under this definition, or under the definitions of "storm water discharge associated with mining and oil and gas activities," and "storm water discharge associated with construction activity" that will result in construction-related disturbance of five acres or more of total land area) including those that are subject to regulation under subtitle D of RCRA;

(v) facilities involved in the recycling of materials, including metal scrapyards, battery reclaimers, salvage yards, and automobile junkyards including, but not limited to, those classified as standard industrial classification 5015 and 5093;

(vi) steam electric power generating facilities, including coal handling sites;

(vii) transportation facilities classified as standard industrial classifications 40, 41, 42 (except 4221-25) , 43, 44, 45, and 5171, which have vehicle maintenance shops, equipment cleaning operations, or airport deicing operations.  Only those portions of a facility that are involved in vehicle maintenance

(including vehicle rehabilitation, mechanical repairs, painting, fueling, and lubrication) , equipment cleaning operations, airport deicing operations, or that are otherwise identified under this definition are associated with industrial activity;

(viii) treatment works treating domestic sewage or any other sewage sludge or wastewater treatment device or system, which is used in the storage, treatment, recycling, or reclamation of municipal or domestic sewage, including land dedicated to the disposal of sewage sludge that is located within the confines of the facility, and which has a design flow of 1.0 mgd or more or is required to have an approved pretreatment program under 40 CFR Part 403.  Not included are farm lands, domestic gardens, and lands used for sludge management where sludge is beneficially reused and that are not physically located in the confines of the facility, and areas that are in compliance with section 405 of the federal Clean Water Act; and

(ix) facilities under standard industrial classifications 20, 21, 22, 23, 2434, 25, 265, 267, 27, 283, 285, 30, 31 (except 311) , 323, 34 (except 3441) , 35, 36, 37 (except 373) , 38, 39, and 4221-25, (and which are not otherwise included within (e) (i) through (e) (viii) of this definition) .

(30) "Storm water discharge associated with mining and oil and gas activity" means the same as the definition for "storm water discharges associated with industrial activity" except that the term pertains only to discharges from facilities classified as standard industrial classifications 10 through 14 (mineral industry) that discharge storm water contaminated by contact with or that has come into contact with, any overburden, raw material, intermediate products, finished products, byproducts, or waste products located on the site of such operations.  Such facilities include active and inactive mining operations (except for areas of coal mining operations no longer meeting the definition of a reclamation area under 40 CFR 434.11(1) because the performance bond issued to the facility by the appropriate SMCRA authority has been released, and except for areas of non-coal mining operations that have been released from applicable state or federal reclamation requirements after December 17, 1990) ; and oil and gas exploration, production, processing, or treatment operations; and transmission facilities.  "Inactive mining operations" are mining sites that are not being actively mined but that have an identifiable owner/operator, but do not include sites where mining claims are being maintained prior to disturbances associated with the extraction, beneficiation, or processing of mined materials, nor sites where minimal activities are undertaken for the sole purpose of maintaining a mining claim.

(31) "Storm water pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) " means a document developed to help identify sources of pollution potentially affecting the quality of storm water discharges associated with a facility or activity, and to ensure implementation of measures to minimize and control pollutants in storm water discharges associated with a facility or activity.  The department determines specific requirements and information to be included in a SWPPP based on the type and characteristics of a facility or activity, and on the respective MPDES permit requirements.

(32) "Surface waters" means any waters on the earth's surface including, but not limited to, streams, lakes, ponds, and reservoirs, and irrigation and drainage systems discharging directly into a stream, lake, pond, reservoir, or other surface water.  Water bodies used solely for treating, transporting, or impounding pollutants shall not be considered surface water.

(33) "Total maximum daily load" or "TMDL" is defined at 75-5-103, MCA.

(34) "Uncontrolled sanitary landfill" means a landfill or open dump, whether in operation or closed, that does not meet the requirements for runon or runoff controls established pursuant to subtitle D of the Montana Solid Waste Disposal Act.

(35) "Waste load allocation" means the portion of a receiving water's loading capacity that is allocated to one of its existing or future point sources.

 

History: 75-5-201, 75-5-401, MCA; IMP, 75-5-401, MCA; NEW, 2003 MAR p. 219, Eff. 2/14/03; AMD, 2024 MAR p. 257, Eff. 2/10/24.