(a) This part, in conjunction with the NPDES reporting requirements specified in 40 CFR parts 122, 123, 124, 125, 403, 501, and 503, specifies the requirements for:

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(1) Electronic reporting of information by NPDES permittees;

(2) Facilities or entities seeking coverage under NPDES general permits;

(3) Facilities or entities submitting stormwater certifications or waivers from NPDES permit requirements;

(4) Industrial users located in municipalities without approved local pretreatment programs;

(5) Approved pretreatment programs;

(6) Facilities or entities regulated by the Federal sewage sludge/biosolids program; and

(7) EPA and the states, tribes, or territories that have received authorization from EPA to implement the NPDES program. This part, in conjunction with 40 CFR parts 123, 403, and 501, also specifies the requirements for electronic reporting of NPDES information to EPA by the states, tribes, or territories that have received authorization from EPA to implement the NPDES program.

(b) These regulations are not intended to preclude states, tribes, or territories authorization from EPA to implement the NPDES program from developing and using their own NPDES data systems. However, these states, tribes, and territories must ensure that the required minimum set of NPDES data (appendix A of this part) is electronically transferred to EPA in a timely, accurate, complete, and nationally-consistent manner fully compatible with EPA’s national NPDES data system.

(c) Under 10 U.S.C. § 130e, the Secretary of Defense may exempt Department of Defense “critical infrastructure security information” from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). NPDES program data designated as critical infrastructure security information in response to a FOIA request will be withheld from the public. In the instance where an NPDES program data element for a particular facility is designated as critical infrastructure security information in response to a FOIA request, a separate filtered set of data without the redacted information will be shared with the public; however, all NPDES program data will continue to be provided to EPA and the authorized state, tribe, or territory NPDES program.

(d) Proper collection, management, and sharing of the data and information listed in appendix A ensures that there is timely, complete, accurate, and nationally-consistent set of data about the NPDES program.