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Regulations & Permits > Sand & Gravel General Permit > Sand & Gravel General Permit history

Sand & Gravel General Permit history

We issued the Modified Sand and Gravel Permit on Jan. 19, 2018.

Modifications to the 2016 permit

Will I be affected by the modified permit?

The majority of permittees will not be affected. The following types of permittees will see some changes:

  • Asphalt batch plants and asphalt recycling operations that discharge process water to the ground.
  • New concrete recycling operations receiving coverage for the first time.
  • Portable batch plants and portable rock crushers that move from location to location.   

Why did the permit change?

The 2016 permit was appealed by the Washington Aggregate and Concrete Association. A settlement was reached on modified language for the permit in August 2017. 

The modified language allows more flexibility for portable operations and new concrete recyclers.

The appeal resulted in modifications to:
  • pH monitoring for asphalt batch plants and asphalt recycling (S2, Table 2)
  • Concrete recycling best management practices (S8.F)
  • Coverage for portable facilities (S12.B) and related coverage forms
We accepted public comment on the permit modifications Sept. 26, 2017 through Dec. 8, 2017. We held a public workshop and hearing on Nov. 30, 2017.

Permit reissuance work

  • The 2011 permit issued Aug. 4, 2010, was effective Oct. 1, 2010, and expired Oct. 1, 2015.
  • The 2016 permit issued Feb. 17, 2016, was effective April 1, 2016, and expires March 1, 2021.
  • The 2018 permit issued Jan. 19, 2018, was effective April 1, 2018, and expires March 1, 2021.
Event Date Comments

Preliminary stakeholder work

Jan. to May 2015

We held and participated in several meetings with stakeholders to discuss current permit issues and concerns.
Meeting to discuss Preliminary Draft Permit June 1, 2015 We held a public meeting to discuss the Preliminary Draft Sand & Gravel General Permit and to accept verbal comments. The meeting was held in Lacey, WA.

Preliminary Draft Permit public comment period

May 26, 2015 to
June 23, 2015

We accepted comments on the preliminary draft version of the Sand & Gravel General Permit.
Public meeting on recycled concrete July 7, 2015 We held a public meeting to explain the Preliminary Draft Concrete Recycling Language, provide the basis for the preliminary draft language, and to discuss the environmental concerns regarding recycled concrete.
Preliminary draft concrete recycling public comment period July 7, 2015 to July 21, 2015

We accepted comments on the Preliminary Draft Concrete Recycling Language.
Formal draft issued Sept. 9, 2015

Formal draft permit public comment period

Sept. 9, 2015 to Oct. 23, 2015

We accepted comments on the formal draft version of the Sand & Gravel General Permit.

Public workshops and hearings

Oct. 5 & 8, 2015

We held a public workshop and hearing on Oct. 5 in Lacey and Oct. 8 in Spokane.

Permit issuance

Feb. 17, 2016

We issued the 2016 Sand and Gravel General Permit.
Modified permit language August 2017 The 2016 permit was appealed by the Washington Aggregate and Concrete Association. We reached a settlement on the modified language in 2016.
Modified language public comment period Sept. 26, 2017 to Dec. 8, 2017
Public workshop and hearing Nov. 30, 2017 We held a public workshop and hearing on the modified language.
Permit issuance Jan. 19, 2018. We issued the 2018 Modified Sand and Gravel General Permit. It was unchanged from the draft modified permit.

PDF/Word text guide:

  • Green text = typically unchanged or moved language
  • Red strike-through = deleted language
  • Red underlined = new language

Previous Sand & Gravel General Permits

The first Sand and Gravel General Permit was issued in 1994.

Past versions of the permit and related permit documents are searchable through the Water Quality Permitting and Reporting Information System (PARIS).



Contact information

Adrien Carroll-Perkins
Sand & Gravel General Permit Writer
adrien.carroll-perkins@ecy.wa.gov
360-407-7386