The Water Quality Compliance program protects Austin waterways from the impacts of point-source pollution by responding to environmental emergencies and enforcing Austin’s water quality regulations.
Core Programs
- Emergency Spill Response
- Stormwater Permitting and Inspection
- Compliance and Enforcement
See a Spill? Know the Drill!
Please report spills and other water pollution emergencies to Austin 3-1-1 as soon as possible. We respond to spills of hazardous and non-hazardous material within Austin and its extraterritorial jurisdictions 24 hours a day, including weekends and holidays. We determine pollution causes, identify responsible parties, assess the extent of environmental impacts, and direct corrective actions to mitigate the spill. More about how to report a pollution spill...
Permits and Inspections
We issue Stormwater Discharge Permits to industrial and commercial facilities that are at high risk of polluting discharges. The following types of businesses are regulated by the Stormwater Discharge Permit Program and are responsible for obtaining and maintaining a permit.
- Aircraft repair
- Boat repair
- Bulk petroleum storage and distribution
- Chemical manufacturing and storage
- Commercial cleaning
- Concrete batch plant operation
- Fuel dispensing
- Groundwater remediation
- Heavy equipment repair
- Hydraulic system repair
- Lubrication services
- Machine shop services
- Radiator repair
- Small engine repair
- Swimming pool operation
- Transmission rebuilding and repair
- Vehicle repair
- Vehicle salvage
We conduct routine inspections of permit holders to ensure compliance. Inspections focus on the proper handling, storage, and disposal of waste and other materials to ensure stormwater runoff from these sites is free of pollutants.