NPDES Wastewater Permitting for Ready-Mix Concrete Facilities
If your ready-mix concrete plant discharges treated process wastewater to surface waters in Georgia, you need an NPDES wastewater permit. Bowen Environmental Services (BES) helps concrete facilities obtain new permits, maintain compliance, and work directly with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) throughout the process.
Our team has hands-on experience with the treatment systems that concrete plants rely on — settling basins, recycled water ponds, filtration systems, and pH adjustment — and we understand how Georgia EPD evaluates these facilities during the permitting process.
When Does Your Concrete Plant Need a Wastewater Permit?
A ready-mix concrete facility needs an Industrial NPDES Wastewater Permit when treated process wastewater leaves the site and enters surface waters. This is separate from your stormwater permit — a stormwater permit alone does not authorize discharge of industrial process wastewater.
Common situations that trigger wastewater permitting include recycled water ponds with an overflow outfall, settling basins that discharge offsite, truck washout or slump rack wash water leaving the property, and any defined pipe or discharge structure carrying process water to a creek, ditch, or other waterbody.
If you are not sure whether your facility’s discharge requires a wastewater permit, BES can evaluate your site and give you a clear answer before it becomes a compliance issue.
Wastewater Sources at Concrete Plants
Concrete plant process wastewater typically comes from truck washout operations, mixer drum cleaning, slump rack and wash rack areas, equipment washing, material bin washdown, and recycled water treatment system overflows. This wastewater characteristically carries high suspended solids and elevated (alkaline) pH — both of which must be controlled before discharge.
What Georgia EPD Monitors
Your NPDES permit will require regular monitoring and reporting. The specific parameters depend on your receiving stream and discharge characteristics, but concrete plant permits commonly include:
Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and Turbidity — The primary concern with concrete wastewater. Your settling basins and treatment system must consistently reduce solids to meet permit limits.
pH — Concrete wash water is highly alkaline, often exceeding a pH of 12. Georgia EPD requires discharge pH to fall within an acceptable range (typically 6.0–9.0), which means pH adjustment is usually necessary.
Oil & Grease — Relevant if vehicle maintenance or heavy equipment operations contribute to your wastewater stream.
Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus — Required when the receiving stream has nutrient-related impairments or when EPD determines nutrient limits are necessary.
Types of Wastewater Permits
General Permit — GAG300000
Some concrete plants qualify for coverage under Georgia’s NPDES General Permit No. GAG300000. This is typically the faster and simpler permitting pathway. A facility may be eligible when the discharge contains typical concrete wastewater pollutants, the treatment system adequately controls solids and pH, and the receiving stream is not impaired for pollutants expected in the discharge. General permit coverage comes with standardized monitoring requirements and a more predictable review timeline.
Individual NPDES Permit
If your facility discharges to an impaired stream, requires site-specific discharge limits, or has nutrient limitations, Georgia EPD will likely require an Individual NPDES Permit. These permits include customized limits, monitoring schedules, and reporting requirements tailored to your facility and receiving waterbody.
The impaired streams issue is worth paying attention to early. Many streams in Georgia are listed as impaired under the Clean Water Act for parameters like turbidity, sediment, nutrients, metals, or low dissolved oxygen. If your receiving stream is impaired for a pollutant your facility discharges, general permit coverage may not be available — and that changes your permitting timeline and cost. BES evaluates receiving stream conditions at the start of every project so there are no surprises.
Treatment Systems
Most concrete plants use some combination of multi-stage settling basins, recycled water storage ponds, filtration systems, and pH adjustment (typically CO2 injection or acid dosing). Proper design and ongoing maintenance of these systems is essential — not just for meeting permit limits, but for passing EPD inspections and avoiding enforcement.
BES can evaluate your existing treatment system, identify performance gaps, and recommend practical improvements that keep you in compliance without overbuilding.
The Permitting Process
The Georgia EPD wastewater permitting process involves evaluating your wastewater sources and discharge outfalls, reviewing receiving stream conditions and impairment status, assessing your treatment system, preparing the permit application, and working through EPD’s review and public notice period.
Review timelines vary. General permit coverage can sometimes be obtained in a few months, while individual permits may take six months to over a year, depending on complexity and EPD workload. Starting early is the best way to avoid delays.
Concrete Plant Wastewater Permit Cost
Typical consulting fee ranges:
Permit application preparation: $1,500 – $4,500
Treatment system evaluation: Project-specific, depending on scope
State permit fees are separate and paid directly to Georgia EPD. BES provides a detailed proposal before any work begins.
Ongoing Compliance Support
Once your permit is issued, the work does not stop. Georgia EPD expects consistent monitoring, accurate reporting, and properly maintained treatment systems. BES provides ongoing support including sampling coordination, laboratory arrangements, review of analytical results, Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) preparation, monthly or quarterly reporting, permit renewals and modifications, and compliance inspections with corrective action planning when needed.
We help concrete plants stay compliant so you can focus on running your operation.
Contact BES
If you are planning a new concrete plant, expanding an existing facility, or dealing with a wastewater compliance issue, contact Bowen Environmental Services to discuss your situation. Early planning prevents costly delays.
Phone: 770-359-9271
Email: info@bowenenvironmental.com
