Under NPDES, what must a facility do regarding permits and monitoring?

• A. Operate without a permit.
• B. Pay a fee but no permit.
• C. Submit annual reports only.
• D. Obtain an NPDES permit with effluent limits and perform monitoring and reporting.

Answer: (D)

Under NPDES, controls on wastewater discharges come from obtaining a permit that sets specific limits on pollutants (effluent limits) and requires ongoing monitoring and reporting. This system, part of the Clean Water Act, uses the permit to define what can be discharged and how often and by which methods the discharges must be measured. The monitoring data shown in these reports verify that the facility stays within the allowed limits and helps regulators track water quality over time. Without a permit, discharges would be illegal; paying a fee alone does not authorize dumping, and submitting only annual reports does not meet the requirement to monitor and demonstrate ongoing compliance. So the correct approach is to obtain an NPDES permit with effluent limits and to perform monitoring and reporting.