Ready Mix Concrete

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Air

**New General Permits**

The Division of Air Pollution Control (APC) has developed and issued General Permits for both Concrete Batch Plants with emissions of less than 10 tons/year and those above that threshold.

Concrete Batch Plants with emissions less than 10 tons/year

This general permit is designed for truck mix plants with uncontrolled loadout of 57,000 cubic yards/year and truck mix plants with controlled loadout (such as a central dust collector or routing emissions to a silo with a dust collector) of 330,000 cubic yards/year. Expiration date of March 11, 2034.

Large Concrete Batch Plants

This general permit is designed for plants that have an uncontrolled loadout of less than 450,000 cubic yard/year or have a controlled loadout of less than 2,600,000 cubic yards/year. Per review with the Tennessee Concrete Association, all concrete batch plants in Tennessee would be below this threshold. Expiration date of May 15, 2035. 

  1. Apply for a general permit using the Notice of Intent found on the APC General Permits website and surrender your current permit once you receive the new general permit. This link will also provide more information on the General Permit and provides a copy of the permit for preview to help businesses be able to understand up front what their compliance requirements will be.
  2. Wait until your current permit is about to expire and then apply for a general permit moving forward

General permits have a 10 year period. All facilities that have a general permit would need to submit a new Notice of Intent prior to expiration and then they would be on a full 10 year cycle. Facilities that apply for coverage under the general permit at a later date would still have the same expiration date, regardless of when they apply for coverage. 

Water

Additionally, ready mixed concrete producers are required to have a current storm water permit. A storm water permit requires you to collect and analyze water samples, provide training to your employees and have a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP). As well, you should satisfy the permit conditions, including:

Other requirements

Finally, your industry is subject to the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act. You are typically required to complete and submit a Tier II report (for the Tier II Form and Reporting Requirements, click here) to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA), Local Fire Department, and Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC). Also in some instances, you may be required to submit a Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) report to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).