what is a npdes permit
The 1972 act introduced the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), which is a permit system for regulating point sources of pollution. Point sources include: 1  industrial facilities (including manufacturing, mining, oil and gas extraction, and service industries).ountaintop removal mining requires a section 404 permit when soil and rock from the mining operation is placed in streams and wetlands (commonly called a valley fill). Pollutant discharges from valley fills to streams also requires an NPDES permit.