New York Consolidated Laws, Environmental Conservation Law - ENV § 17-0801. Purpose

To create a state pollutant discharge elimination system (SPDES) to insure that the State of New York shall possess adequate authority to issue permits regulating the discharge of pollutants from new or existing outlets or point sources into the waters of the state, upon condition that such discharges will conform to and meet all applicable requirements of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended (33 U.S.C. 1251, et seq.)  1 hereinafter referred to as the “Act”, and rules, regulations, guidelines, criteria, standards and limitations adopted pursuant thereto relating to effluent limitations, water quality related effluent limitations, new source performance standards, toxic and pretreatment effluent limitations, ocean discharge criteria, and monitoring, and to participate in the national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) created by the Act.