Tightening regulations stimulate industrial stormwater sector

All industrial sites in the United States are required to comply with stormwater monitoring under the Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP). Federal guidelines list a total maximum daily load (TMDL) for the receiving water, but they do not provide site-specific discharge requirements. Instead, the primary goal is monitoring to determine whether a receiving water is impaired.

US states besides California and Washington either fall under federal permitting jurisdiction or simply use federal guidelines in state permit requirements. A recent settlement between the EPA and environmental groups is obliging the EPA to review its permit guidelines and explore improvements. The National Academy of Sciences has conducted a study and published its input to the EPA, which is now...

The market surrounding industrial stormwater treatment is aimed at helping facilities meet their permit requirements, which currently include sampling, reporting, and treatment, if necessary. In effect, the market encompasses these three primary areas:

Due to the lack of certification requirement, lower-cost treatment options are readily available for industrial facilities. In addition to steeper competition among technology suppliers, this situation also opens the door for DIY approaches. An out-of-box solution works especially well in manufacturing sites where existing employees already have skills in fabrication and assembly, and can be...

Streams of non-potable water are valuable at industrial sites where many activities have lower requirements on water quality. Collected stormwater can additionally serve for tasks such as rinsing and dust suppression. Systems designed for onsite reuse of stormwater can gain traction where some treatment is needed before reuse or where collection and distribution are difficult due to site...

Software and sensor companies will thrive in the industrial stormwater market if they focus on helping facilities to meet compliance more efficiently. Expert knowledge of changing regulations, technology designed with ease-of-use in mind, and respect for the onsite crew are components of a winning proposition. Under anticipated revised regulations, simple treatment technologies will be the most...

Rhys Owen is the senior research editor of BlueTech Research with offices in Cork, Ireland, Oxford, United Kingdom, and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This article highlights market insights – such as opportunities and actions needed for the United States – as presented in BlueTech’s BluePrint: US Industrial...