Sand & Gravel General Permit history

Modifications to the 2016 permit

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

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, will become 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. Preliminary Draft Sand & Gravel General Permit (Clean PDF - no changes) Preliminary Draft Sand & Gravel General Permit (Track Change PDF) Summary of significant changes
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. Our presentation on the Preliminary Draft Concrete Recycling language
Preliminary draft concrete recycling public comment period	July 7, 2015 to July 21, 2015	We accepted comments on the Preliminary Draft Concrete Recycling Language. Preliminary Draft Concrete Recycling language
Formal draft issued	Sept. 9, 2015	Formal Draft Sand & Gravel General Permit (Clean PDF - no changes) Formal Draft Sand & Gravel General Permit (Word version - changes between the preliminary drafts and formal draft) Formal Draft Sand & Gravel General Permit (Word version - changes between the current permit and the formal draft) 2011 Fact Sheet Economic Impact Analysis Comparison Between the Formal Draft and Final Permit (Changes between the formal draft and the 2016 permit)
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. Our presentation on the Formal Draft Permit
Permit issuance	Feb. 17, 2016	We issued the 2016 Sand and Gravel General Permit. Comparison of the 2011 to 2016 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	Draft Modified Sand and Gravel General Permit Public comments on the draft modified permit
Public workshop and hearing	Nov. 30, 2017	We held a public workshop and hearing on the modified language. Listen to an audio recording of the hearing and testimony here
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

Carrie Graul
Sand & Gravel General Permit Writer
carrie.graul@ecy.wa.gov
360-407-6967