What Do Regulators Look For?

 March 03, 2021

A regulatory agency is sending an inspector your way. Yippee, Skippy! Hopefully, you’re one of the lucky facilities that got an advance warning! Recently, one of our customers received an email notification of an upcoming inspection which included a list of items to be reviewed during the visit. Quite frankly, that is a little unusual, but so helpful!

We care about our customers and want to reduce your stress level as much as we can. Here are a few pointers on what you should always have accessible and ready to present to a regulator, because you might not get any advance notice at all before they arrive at your business. Generally, the first thing a regulator will want to see is all your paperwork:

  • The Stormwater Discharge Permit for your facility
  • The Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan binder with the most recent Annual Inspection pages inserted in the correct places
  • Quarterly or Semi-Annual Inspection forms, filled out, dated, and signed
  • If you’ve performed your own training in-house, the most current Training Sign-in Log with the signatures of all attendees, signed and dated by the person who led the training
  • Sampling information, including Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs), and remember that there must be DMRs for the sampling periods, even if there was no rain or you just forgot to collect the sample
  • If Incoming Vehicle or Incoming Material Inspections are required by your permit, have them filled out, signed, and dated, or be able to show that they are computerized
  • If your facility has Structural Controls onsite or if you have sludge removed periodically, have that form or manifest ready to view
  • If you really want to “knock their socks off”, show them your Spill Kit Inventory sheets all filled out!

This is just the first part of the inspection process but it is vitally important! If the regulator sees how organized and conscientious your recordkeeping is, it will go a long way toward ensuring that you pass the inspection. However, no matter how neat, clean, and stain-free your yard is, you’re not likely to escape a Notice of Violation if your paperwork is incomplete or incorrect.

If you have questions, need an explanation on something, or just want some support, please know that you can call us, even during the inspection process! If you want to simplify the entire Compliance Assurance process, consider using eComply®, our digital, online platform, where everything is stored in the Cloud, and all you have to do to access all of the information listed above is click your computer mouse a few times!