Sand & Gravel General Permit

The Sand and Gravel General Permit regulates discharges of process water, stormwater, and water from mine dewatering into waters of the state associated with sand and gravel operations, rock quarries, and similar mining operations. The permit also covers concrete batch operations and hot-mix asphalt operations.

Untreated water that discharges from sand and gravel operations may harm fish, aquatic life, and water quality.

The current permit went into effect April 1, 2021, and expires on March 31, 2026.

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I want to.

• Apply for a permit
• Find out if I need a permit
• Learn about the concrete effluent study

Current permit documents

• Sand & Gravel General Permit — expires March 31, 2026
  • 2021 Fact Sheet - Appendix A: Response to Comments

  Historical permit documents

  • 2018 Modified Sand & Gravel General Permit — expired March 31, 2021
    • 2015 Fact sheet
      • Addendum A: 2015 draft permit response to comments
      • Addendum B: Fact Sheet on the permit modified permit
      • Addendum C: Modified permit response to comments

      Do I need a permit?

      You may need a Sand and Gravel General Permit if your facility:

      • Discharges process water, stormwater, or mine dewatering water into waters of the state.
      • Is associated with sand and gravel operations, concrete batch plants, or asphalt batch plants.

      You may need a portable operation permit if you move from site to site to:

      • Crush rock
      • Make concrete
      • Make asphalt

      Concrete Characterization Study

      Concrete is widely used in construction because it is resilient, affordable, and easily available. At the end of their use, concrete structures and products are demolished into rubble (broken up pieces). This rubble can get stored, recycled and reused as building material. Once concrete has hardened into the durable material we commonly see, such as sidewalks or building foundations, it becomes an impervious surface, meaning rainwater runs off of it. However, when concrete is broken up into rubble and stored in piles waiting to be recycled, rainwater can flow through the piles.

      Recently, we reviewed over 200 articles, reports, and papers published in the U.S. and internationally to help us understand what happens when rainwater interacts with concrete rubble and what potential pollutants might leach out into the water. The literature review found a list of potential pollutants associated with storing concrete rubble. However, none of the studies we reviewed had information on environmental impacts specific to concrete mixtures made in Washington. For more details, read our report: Recycled Concrete Aggregate Leachate: A Literature Review.

      As a follow up to the literature review, we are studying 80 facilities to determine if Washington rainwater is picking up contaminants, and if so, to what degree. We are measuring pH, metals, and other properties of the water that could effect waterbodies and we will determine if permit updates are needed to better protect the environment.

      For more information about this study, see our blog post about this project, and the Quality Assurance Project Plan containing a detailed explanation of the study's methods and procedures.

      Information about past permit reissuance events, documents, presentations, and expired permits

      To submit your permit application through our WQWebPortal to apply for coverage:

      • Sign up for aSecureAccess Washington (SAW) account. SecureAccess Washington or SAW is the State of Washington’s secure portal to access and submit applications.
      • Add theWQWebPortal Service to your SAW account to apply for coverage.
      • Follow these instructions to apply for an existing permit.

      If you require an e-waiver, please fill out the following form, or work with your administrator:

      If you have an e-waiver, you may use a paper form to apply for coverage:

      • Fixed-site coverage form
      • Portable operations coverage form
      Changes in coverage

      If you need to update your operating status to either active or inactive, please fill out the following form:

      If you are reporting a change in ownership, name, or requesting termination of coverage, please fill out the following form:

      If you need to update any other permit coverage information, such as adding or removing an activity, updating site acreage, adding or removing a discharge point, etc., please use the following form:

      NOTE: Please select "Permit Information Update" as the Application Type in Question 1 on the Fixed Site Coverage Form.

      If you have permit coverage for a portable operation, please use the following forms for either beginning or completing operations:

      • Portable operations — Notice of Intent to Begin
      • Portable operations — Notice of Completion