NPDES Pesticide General Permit for Application of Pesticides on Surface Waters in North Carolina

Starting November 1, 2011 a Pesticide General Permit (PGP) is in effect for the application of pesticides in situations where the pesticide or its residue will purposefully or unintentionally contact surface waters.

• Surface waters is a generic term used here that refers to "the waters of the United States" or "waters of the State" which generally includes streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, wetlands, seasonal waters, and certain ditches or canals.
• Pesticides include herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and other products designed to control or eliminate undesirable or harmful organisms.

The North Carolina Division of Water Resources (NCDWR) has issued permit number NCG560000 under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) through its authority as delegated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The introduction of water pollutants (including pesticides) from nonpoint source forestry (silvicultural) activities is exempt from the NPDES permitting program, up until the thresholds that are defined in this Pesticide General Permit are met.

Beginning on January 31, 2012 any person who wishes to apply pesticides which may contact surface waters is required to have in their possession a "Certificate of Coverage" (CoC) that is provided by the NCDWR. The holder of the CoC may then apply pesticides in a manner that is consistent with the conditions and requirements of PGP NCG560000.

There are 5 activities which require this PGP, listed below. Activities number 4 and 5 are the most likely circumstances which may interact with forest management activities:

1. Mosquito and Other Flying Insect Pest Control
2. Aquatic Weed and Algae Control
3. Aquatic Animal Pest Control
4. Forest Canopy Pest Control
5. Intrusive Vegetation Control

Forest Canopy Pest Control:
Defined as the aerial application of a pesticide over a forest canopy to control the population of a pest species, where to target the pests effectively, a portion of the pesticide unavoidably will be applied over and deposited to surface waters.

• This PGP is only needed if the following threshold is met: you are treating 10,000 acres or more annually.

Intrusive Vegetation Control:
Defined as an activity in which to control intrusive species effectively, a portion of the pesticide will unavoidably be applied over or deposited to surface waters.

• This PGP is only needed if the following threshold is met: you are treating 500 or more linear miles of waterway.

Information provided in this Pesticide General Permit includes:

• Who must obtain a CoC, and how to submit a Notice of Intent (NOI) to request a CoC
• Application of pesticides over Impaired Waters
• Interim permit coverage between November 1, 2011 and January 31, 2012
• Who needs to prepare and submit a Pesticide Discharge Management Plan, and what that Plan should have in it, including deadlines for submittal
• Corrective actions needed if a spill occurs
• Recordkeeping requirements
• Other pertinent compliance information and standard permit conditions

DISCLAIMER: This web page is only intended to raise awareness of this PGP and how it may relate to forestry-related activities. This information is not all-inclusive. If you think that you will be required to obtain this PGP, please contact the personnel in the Compliance & Expedited Permitting Unit of the NPDES program in the NCDWR.