Environmental Public Health Division
TCEQ Permit Review Program
Harris County does not have permitting
authority or ordinance making capability. Permits and Technical
Services (P&TS) reviews Texas Commission Environmental Quality (TCEQ)
air, industrial and municipal wastewater and municipal,
industrial and hazardous waste solid waste permit applications,
and amendments or renewals for facilities that operate in Harris
County. Facilities as small as a dry cleaner to as large as a
petrochemical plant must obtain authorization from the TCEQ to
emit an air contaminant. Similarly, landfills must also obtain
permit authorization to accept waste and sewage treatment plants
to discharge treated wastewaters. Also, the P&TS public water
system inspection program ensures that all drinking water
systems have submitted plans to construct and operate in
accordance with the public water system rules and regulations.
Purpose of the permit application review
program?
The review program helps ensure that the
final permit conditions are protective of human health and the
environment, local interests, and that the permit provisions are
enforceable. The goal of the permit review program is to permit
a facility that will not adversely impact adjacent neighborhoods
by creating nuisance conditions or emitting air contaminant
levels or other environmental conditions that are unacceptable.
How is a permit application reviewed?
The permit application review process
involves conducting site reviews, reviewing facility compliance
and inspection histories and analytical data, as applicable.
The permit review program also includes reviewing draft permits
and notices of deficiencies and submitting comments to the TCEQ
based on the review. Public hearings and public meetings related
to the permitting process are attended as part of the review.
What rules and regulations does a
facility have to comply with in order to obtain authorization?
Facilities requesting TCEQ permit
authorization need to comply with the applicable air, water or
solid waste permitting requirements found in Title 30
(Environmental Quality) of the Texas Administrative Code.
What happens if a facility does not
meet the TCEQ permitting requirements?
In instances where a permit application is
seriously deficient or the applicant has an unsatisfactory
compliance history, Environmental Public Health (EPH) can
recommend that the permit application be denied. Additionally,
through the County Attorney’s Office, EPH can request a
contested case hearing to hear the merits of the application.
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