The department shall provide public notice of all preliminary determinations to develop a general permit, all determinations not to develop a general permit after publishing such a preliminary determination, all draft general permit determinations, and the issuance of a final general permit. All public notices shall be circulated in a manner designed to inform interested and potentially affected persons of the proposed general permit.

(1) The department shall provide public notice of all preliminary determinations to develop a general permit as follows:

(a) The public notice shall be circulated within the geographical area of the proposed general permit. Such notice may include any or all of the following:

(i) Publishing, as a paid advertisement or legal notice, the department's preliminary determination in one or more major local newspapers throughout the area of proposed coverage;

(ii) Issuance of news releases, focus sheets, or newsletters;

(iii) Publication in the State Register;

(b) The department shall request comments on whether a general permit is appropriate for the proposed category of dischargers or whether individual permits are necessary;

(c) The public notice shall provide an opportunity for any interested or potentially affected party to submit information on dischargers proposed to be covered under a general permit including:

(i) Any documented information on the characteristics of the discharge including effluent quantity, quality, and any receiving water impacts. Information may be from an individual facility or be representative of the category as a whole; and

(ii) Any other relevant information;

(d) The department shall add the name of any person upon request to a general permit specific mailing list to receive information and notices related to the development of the general permit.

(2) In the event that the department determines not to develop a general permit after publishing a preliminary determination pursuant to subsection (1) of this section, the department shall provide public notice to that effect.

(3) The department shall provide public notice of every draft general permit as follows:

(a) The notice shall be circulated throughout the geographical area covered by the general permit. Such circulation may include any or all of the following:

(i) Posting for a period of thirty days in post offices, public libraries, and public places within the geographical area covered by the general permit;

(ii) Publishing the notice as a paid advertisement, display advertisement, or legal notice, in one or more major local newspapers of general circulation serving the area covered by the general permit;

(iii) Issuance of news releases, focus sheets, or newsletters.

(b) Notice shall be mailed to any person upon request, including all persons on the general permit specific mailing list established pursuant to subsection (1)(d) of this section and all persons on the mailing lists established pursuant to WAC 173-220-050 (1)(d).

(c) At least thirty days before the public hearing on the general permit the department shall have the following published in the State Register:

(i) The public notice contents contained in (f) of this subsection;

(ii) A reference to the relevant sections of chapter 90.48 RCW as the statutory authority for issuing the general permit;

(iii) The date on which the agency intends to issue the general permit;

(iv) A short explanation of the permit, its purpose, and anticipated effects; and

(v) A summary of the economic impact analysis required in WAC 173-226-120.

(d) The department shall provide a period of not less than thirty days following the last publication of the public notice, during which time interested persons may submit their written views on a draft general permit determination. All written comments submitted during the comment period shall be retained by the department and considered in the formulation of its final determination with respect to the draft general permit. The period for comment may be extended at the discretion of the department.

(e) The department shall make available during the public comment period:

(i) The draft general permit;

(ii) The fact sheet on the draft general permit required pursuant to WAC 173-226-110;

(iii) The economic impact analysis required pursuant to WAC 173-226-120;

(iv) A copy of the proposed application for coverage; and

(v) The notice required pursuant to WAC 173-226-130 (3)(c).

(f) The contents of the draft general permit public notice shall, at a minimum, summarize the following:

(i) The name, address, and phone number of the agency issuing the public notice;

(ii) The type of facilities and activities which are the subject of the general permit;

(iii) The geographical area for which the general permit is valid;

(iv) The criteria for which coverage under a general permit will be approved;

(v) A listing or some other means of generally identifying the facilities proposed to be covered under the general permit;

(vi) The tentative determination to issue a general permit;

(vii) The procedures for the formulation of final determinations, including the thirty-day comment period required by (d) of this subsection and any other means by which interested persons may comment upon those determinations;

(viii) The date, time, and place when public hearings will be held on the draft general permit;

(ix) The address and phone number of state premises at which interested persons may obtain further information; and

(x) The date and time after which comments will not be considered by the department in formulating the final determination on the draft general permit.

(4) The department shall provide public notice of the issuance of a final general permit as follows:

(a) The notice of general permit issuance shall be circulated in a manner similar to that used to circulate the notice on the draft general permit in subsection (3)(a) of this section and shall be published in the State Register; and

(b) The notice of general permit issuance shall be provided to all persons on the general permit specific mailing list established pursuant to subsection (1)(d) of this section and all persons on the mailing lists established pursuant to WAC 173-220-050 (1)(d).

(c) The public notice of the issuance of a general permit shall contain:

(i) The name, address, and phone number of the agency issuing the public notice;

(ii) The type of facilities and activities which are the subject of the general permit;

(iii) The geographical area for which the general permit is valid;

(iv) The criteria for which coverage under a general permit will be approved;

(v) A listing or some other means of generally identifying the facilities proposed to be covered under the general permit;

(vi) A summary of the application process by which eligible dischargers may obtain coverage under the general permit;

(vii) An explanation of any changes to the final general permit, other than editing changes, and the principal reasons for adopting the changes;

(viii) A notice that the terms and conditions of the general permit may be appealed only by filing an appeal with the pollution control hearings board and by serving it upon the department within thirty days, and the process for doing so as contained in RCW 43.21B.310; and

(ix) The date after which the general permit shall be effective. The effective date of a general permit shall be no sooner than thirty days after the publication in the State Register of the public notice required pursuant to (a) of this subsection.

(5) For new operations, or for operations previously under permit for which an increase in volume or change in the character of the effluent is requested over that which was previously authorized, only:

(a) The applicant for coverage under a general permit shall cause notice to be circulated within the geographical area of the proposed discharge. Such circulation shall include:

(i) Publishing twice a notice in a newspaper of general circulation within the county in which the discharge is proposed to be made; and

(ii) Any other method the department may direct.

(b) The notice published pursuant to (a) of this subsection shall contain:

(i) The name, address, and location of the facility requesting coverage under the general permit;

(ii) The applicant's activities or operations that result in a discharge (e.g., stormwater, fish farming, gravel washing);

(iii) The name of the general permit under which coverage is being requested; and

(iv) The statement: "Any person desiring to present their views to the department of ecology regarding this application may do so in writing within thirty days of the last date of publication of this notice. Comments shall submitted to the department of ecology. Any person interested in the department's action on this application may notify the department of their interest within thirty days of the last date of publication of this notice."