SPDES Compliance & Enforcement
TOGS 1.4.2 Compliance and Enforcement of SPDES Permits
DOW SPDES Compliance and Enforcement Annual Reports
The Division of Water (DOW) SPDES Compliance and Enforcement Annual Reports provide details on oversight activities that protect waters of New York State, primarily through the State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) program. These reports focus on statewide efforts to monitor discharges to water bodies through facility inspections, assessment of self-reported data and information, assessment of compliance with issued permits and Orders on Consent, and adherence to other applicable laws and requirements.
These reports are produced annually by DOW, but they represent the work of many participants working together - wastewater treatment facility operators, businesses, government entities, and citizens - to achieve environmental protection, safeguard human health, and facilitate commerce.
Annual Reports
ECHO
Enforcement Compliance History Online (ECHO) (leaves DEC website).
Approximately 1,750 SPDES permitted wastewater treatment facilities and 1,600 industrial facilities with permitted storm water runoff, submit monitoring data required by their permits to DEC via Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs). This DMR data is entered into EPA's Federal database and made available to the public through EPA's Enforcement Compliance History Online (ECHO) website.
Along with monitoring data, ECHO integrates inspection, violation, and enforcement information for the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and hazardous waste laws. ECHO also includes Safe Drinking Water Act data, Toxics Release Inventory data, National Emissions Inventory data, and Water Quality Data. The system's features range from simple to advanced, allowing users to conduct broad analyses as well as complex searches. Specifically, ECHO allows the user to find and download information on:
- Facility monitoring data;
- Permit data;
- Inspection dates and findings;
- Violations;
- Enforcement actions; and
- Penalties assessed.
For users learning the system, the ECHO website contains video tutorials, information on training sessions and links to a data dictionary explaining the site. Access the ECHO website
TOGS 1.4.2 Compliance and Enforcement of SPDES Permits
TOGS 1.4.2 (PDF) establishes DEC's guidance on compliance and enforcement activities related to the State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) program. It provides DEC staff with enforcement options and operating guidelines to implement the compliance component of the SPDES program.
The goal of this guidance is to ensure consistent statewide understanding and implementation of the SPDES compliance and enforcement program in order to protect public health and the intended best use of the waters of the state. This document also provides the public and permittees with guidance on typical enforcement options and operating guidelines to implement the compliance component of the State Pollutant Elimination Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) programs.
