Operational Storm water Management: Which Tier Are You?

As stated earlier, the Storm water Program has two types of permits: construction and operation. You have already determined if you need a construction permit. Now you need to see if your business will be required to have an operational permit.

We would like you to take a look at the following lists of business types below to determine which tier you fall under. Please note that there are ways to move into a less stringent tier by adopting certain pollution prevention strategies.

TIER 1- Heavy Manufacturers

If your business falls into one of these categories, please click anywhere on the list below to continue.

Lumber and Wood Products || Paper and Allied Products || Chemical and Allied Products || Petroleum Refining || Leather Tanning and Finishing || Stone, Clay, Glass and Concrete Products || Primary Metal Industries || Fabricated Structural Metal || Ship and Boat Building and Repair || Metal Scrap Yards, Battery Reclaimers, Salvage Yards and Recyclers of Scrap and Waste Material || Facilities with bulk storage piles for coal, metallic and non-metallic minerals and ores, and scrap

If you don't fall under one of the above categories, read on...

TIER 2 - Light Manufacturers

If your business falls into one of these categories, please click anywhere on the list below to continue.

Food and Kindred Products || Tobacco Products || Textile Mill Products || Apparel and Other Textile Products || Wood Kitchen Cabinets || Furniture and Fixtures || Paperboard Containers and Boxes || Miscellaneous Converted Paper Products || Printing, Publishing and Allied Industries || Drugs || Paints and Allied Products || Rubber and Miscellaneous Plastics Products || Leather and Leather Products || Products of Purchased Glass || Fabricated Metal Products || Industrial and Commercial Machinery and Computer Equipment || Electronic and Other Electrical Equipment and Components || Transportation Equipment || Instruments and Related Products || Miscellaneous Manufacturing Industries || Farm Product Warehousing and Storage || Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage || General Warehousing and Storage || Railroad Transportation || Local and Interurban Passenger Transit || Trucking and Warehousing || U.S. Postal Service || Water Transportation || Transportation By Air || Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals || Metal Mining || Coal Mining || Oil and Gas Extraction || Non-metallic Minerals, except fuels

Tier 3 - Other Businesses

There are businesses that can move into a Tier 3 category if they meet certain requirements (no exposure of storm water runoff to raw materials, intermediate materials or waste). This Tier is the least regulated of the three and includes facilities that have certified to the DNR that they have no discharges of contaminated storm water and that the DNR has concurred with the certification.

Please click on the "Continue" button below if you do not find your business type in any of the above lists.