Wisconsin Code § 283.31

Water pollutant discharge elimination system; permits, terms and conditions
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(1) The discharge of any
pollutant into any waters of the state or the disposal of sludge
from a treatment work by any person is unlawful unless such discharge or disposal is done under a permit issued by the department under this section or s. 283.33. The department may by rule
exempt certain classes or categories of vessels from this section.
(2) No permit shall be issued by the department for the discharge into the waters of the state of any of the following:
(a) Any radiological, chemical or biological warfare agent or
high-level radioactive waste.
(b) Any discharge which the secretary of the army acting
through the chief of the U.S. army corps of engineers has objected to in writing on the ground that anchorage and navigation
would be substantially impaired.
(c) Any discharge to which the U.S. environmental protection
agency has objected to in writing pursuant to s. 283.41.
(d) Any discharge from a point source which is in conflict
with any existing area-wide waste treatment management plan
approved by the department. No area-wide waste treatment management plan may require the abandonment of existing waste
treatment facilities which meet the requirements of this chapter
unless the abandonment of such facilities clearly represents the
most efficient and cost-effective method of providing waste treatment for the entire planning area.
(3) The department may issue a permit under this section for
the discharge of any pollutant, or combination of pollutants, other
than those prohibited under sub. (2), upon condition that such
discharges will meet all the following, whenever applicable, subject to sub. (5m):
(a) Effluent limitations.
(b) Standards of performance for new sources.
(c) Effluent standards, effluents prohibitions and pretreatment standards.
(d) Any more stringent limitations, including those:
1. Necessary to meet federal or state water quality standards,
or schedules of compliance established by the department; or
2. Necessary to comply with any applicable federal law or
regulation; or
3. Necessary to avoid exceeding total maximum daily loads
established pursuant to a continuing planning process developed
under s. 283.83.
(e) Any more stringent legally applicable requirements necessary to comply with an approved areawide waste treatment management plan.
(f) Groundwater protection standards established under ch.
160.

(4) The department shall prescribe conditions for permits issued under this section to assure compliance with the requirements of sub. (3). Such additional conditions shall include at
least the following, subject to sub. (5m):
(a) That the discharge of any pollutant more frequently than
or at a level in excess of that identified and authorized by the permit shall constitute a violation of the terms and conditions of the
permit;
(b) That facility expansions, production increases, or process
modifications which result in new or increased discharges of pollutants at frequencies or levels in excess of the maximum discharges described in the permit shall be reported to the department under s. 283.59 (1);
(c) That the permittee shall permit authorized representatives
of the department upon the presentation of their credentials to enter upon any premises in which an effluent source is located or in
which any records are required to be kept for the purpose of administering s. 283.55;
(d) That the permittee shall at all times maintain in good
working order and operate as efficiently as possible any facilities
or systems of control installed by the permittee to achieve compliance with the terms and conditions of the permit;
(e) That if a toxic effluent standard or prohibition, including
any schedule of compliance specified in such effluent standard or
prohibition, is established under s. 283.21 (1) for a toxic pollutant
present in the permittee’s discharge and, if such standard or prohibition is more stringent than any limitation upon such pollutant
in the permit, the department shall revise or modify the permit in
accordance with the toxic effluent standard or prohibition;
(f) That, if the permit is for a discharge from a publicly owned
treatment work, the permittee shall:
1. Inform the department of any new introduction of pollutants into the treatment works under s. 283.59 (2);
2. Require that any industrial user of such treatment work
comply with the requirements of ss. 283.21 (2) , 283.55 and
283.57.
(5) Each permit issued by the department under this section
shall, in addition to those criteria provided in subs. (3) and (4),
specify maximum levels of discharges. Maximum levels of discharges shall be developed from the permittee’s reasonably foreseeable projection of maximum frequency or maximum level of
discharge resulting from production increases or process modifications during the term of the permit.
(5m) The department shall include the requirements of 40
CFR 451.11 in permits issued under this section for concentrated
aquatic animal production facilities described in 40 CFR 451.10.
The department may not include additional conditions in a permit
for a fish farm except as necessary for the farm to meet the applicable limitations, standards, and other provisions described in
sub. (3) (a) to (f). Any conditions included in a permit issued under this section for a fish farm shall be limited to site-specific best
management practices to the greatest extent allowed under federal law.
(6) Any permit issued by the department under this chapter
which by its terms limits the discharge of one or more pollutants
into the waters of the state may require that the location, design,
construction and capacity of water intake structures reflect the
best technology available for minimizing adverse environmental
impact.
(7) The holder of a permit under this section shall pay $100 to
the department as a groundwater fee on January 1 if the permittee
discharges effluent on land or if the permittee produces sludge
from a treatment work which is disposed of on land. If the permittee discharges effluent on land and disposes of sludge from a
treatment work on land, the permittee shall pay $200 to the department as a groundwater fee on January 1. The moneys collected under this subsection shall be credited to the environmental fund for environmental management.
(8) The holder of a permit under this section for a concentrated animal feeding operation shall annually pay to the department a fee of $345, which shall be credited to the appropriation
account under s. 20.370 (9) (ag). The department shall annually
submit a report to the joint committee on finance and, under s.
13.172 (3), to the standing committees of the legislature with jurisdiction over agricultural and environmental matters describing
the use of the moneys credited to the appropriation account under
s. 20.370 (9) (ag) under this subsection and the use of the moneys
appropriated under s. 20.370 (9) (ap).

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