CESSWI PART 3 2026 REVISION NOTES AND
STRUCTURED CONSTRUCTION STORMWATER
OVERVIEW GUIDE
◉ Clean Water Act year of creation and intent of law Answer: 1972,
enacted to restore and maintain the physical, bio, chem integrity of
the waters of the US
◉ CWA Section 402 Answer: Est. NPDES System, originally focused
on industrial process waste water and POTW
◉ CWA Section 404 Answer: regulated impacts to waters of the US,
typically associated with a 401 certification
◉ CWA Section 401 Answer: Regulates water quality impacts and
state cert systems, required permit issued by a federal agency for
any activity that may discharge a pollutant, Applies heavily in
industrial sites
◉ CWA Section 303 Answer: Establishes Water quality standards
◉ Stormwater discharge definition Answer: stormwater runoff,
snow melt runoff, and surface runoff/drainage
,◉ To be subject to NPDES rules, stormwater must: Answer: be in a
discernible conveyance
◉ Definitions of waters of the US Answer: All waters used in
interstate or foreign commerce, including those subject to tidal flows
o All interstate waters, including interstate wetlands
o All INTRAstate lakes, rivers, streams (intermittent also), mudflats,
sand flats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa
lake, or natural ponds that the destruction of which would affect
interstate/foreign commerce including those which:
Could be used for recreational or other purposes
From which shellfish or fish could be retrieved and sold
Could be used for industrial purposes
o All impoundments of water defined by waters of the US by the
above
o Tributaries of the waters defined above
o The territorial sea
o Wetlands adjacent to any of the waters defined above
◉ Beneficial Uses definition Answer: Uses necessary for the survival
of and well-being of people, plants, and wildlife
, ◉ Water quality standards definition Answer: state or tribal
requirements that define the water quality goals of a lake stream or
other wateerbody by designation the benefical uses and setting
criteria to protect those uses
◉ Section 303d Answer: est a process for states, territories, and
tribes to i.d. impaired waters, also referred to as water quality
limited
◉ TMDL Answer: id's the amount of a specific pollutnant that may
be dicharged to a water body, states are responsible for
implementing
◉ Waste load allocations Answer: allocations of pollutant loadings
to point sources
◉ TMDL Implementation Answer: Define waste load allocation,
develop implementation plan to connect allocations and permits,
translate allocations to permit conditions.
◉ Origin of NPDES stormwater regs Answer: NURP studies showed
stormwater had many of the same qualities of commercial,
industrial areas
STRUCTURED CONSTRUCTION STORMWATER
OVERVIEW GUIDE
◉ Clean Water Act year of creation and intent of law Answer: 1972,
enacted to restore and maintain the physical, bio, chem integrity of
the waters of the US
◉ CWA Section 402 Answer: Est. NPDES System, originally focused
on industrial process waste water and POTW
◉ CWA Section 404 Answer: regulated impacts to waters of the US,
typically associated with a 401 certification
◉ CWA Section 401 Answer: Regulates water quality impacts and
state cert systems, required permit issued by a federal agency for
any activity that may discharge a pollutant, Applies heavily in
industrial sites
◉ CWA Section 303 Answer: Establishes Water quality standards
◉ Stormwater discharge definition Answer: stormwater runoff,
snow melt runoff, and surface runoff/drainage
,◉ To be subject to NPDES rules, stormwater must: Answer: be in a
discernible conveyance
◉ Definitions of waters of the US Answer: All waters used in
interstate or foreign commerce, including those subject to tidal flows
o All interstate waters, including interstate wetlands
o All INTRAstate lakes, rivers, streams (intermittent also), mudflats,
sand flats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa
lake, or natural ponds that the destruction of which would affect
interstate/foreign commerce including those which:
Could be used for recreational or other purposes
From which shellfish or fish could be retrieved and sold
Could be used for industrial purposes
o All impoundments of water defined by waters of the US by the
above
o Tributaries of the waters defined above
o The territorial sea
o Wetlands adjacent to any of the waters defined above
◉ Beneficial Uses definition Answer: Uses necessary for the survival
of and well-being of people, plants, and wildlife
, ◉ Water quality standards definition Answer: state or tribal
requirements that define the water quality goals of a lake stream or
other wateerbody by designation the benefical uses and setting
criteria to protect those uses
◉ Section 303d Answer: est a process for states, territories, and
tribes to i.d. impaired waters, also referred to as water quality
limited
◉ TMDL Answer: id's the amount of a specific pollutnant that may
be dicharged to a water body, states are responsible for
implementing
◉ Waste load allocations Answer: allocations of pollutant loadings
to point sources
◉ TMDL Implementation Answer: Define waste load allocation,
develop implementation plan to connect allocations and permits,
translate allocations to permit conditions.
◉ Origin of NPDES stormwater regs Answer: NURP studies showed
stormwater had many of the same qualities of commercial,
industrial areas
