Herrera is offering low-cost training to cities and counties covered under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II Municipal Stormwater Permit for Western Washington.  The training has been developed specifically to meet the following permit requirements:

Section S.5.C.3. – Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDD&E)

• By August 2009: “Each Permittee shall ensure that all municipal field staff who are responsible for identification, investigation, termination, cleanup, and reporting illicit discharges, including spills, improper disposal and illicit connections are trained to conduct these activities.”
• By February 2010: “An ongoing training program shall be developed and implemented for all municipal field staff, which, as part of their normal job responsibilities, might come into contact with or otherwise observe an illicit discharge or illicit connection to the storm sewer system shall be trained on the identification of an illicit discharge/connection, and on the proper procedures for reporting and responding to the illicit discharge/connection.”

Section S.5.C.5. – Pollution Prevention and Operation and Maintenance for Municipal Operations

• By February 2010: “Develop and implement an on-going training program for employees of the Permittee whose construction, operations or maintenance job functions may impact stormwater quality. The training program shall address the importance of protecting water quality, the requirements of this Permit, operation and maintenance standards, inspection procedures, selecting appropriate BMPs, ways to perform their job activities to prevent or minimize impacts to water quality, and procedures for reporting water quality concerns, including potential illicit discharges.”

Training Options and Who Should Attend

Three low-cost training options are available, focused on the specific permit sections highlighted above.  You can choose 1, 2, or all 3 of the following training options depending on your jurisdiction’s specific needs:

Option 1 – General Awareness Level IDD&E Training (S.5.C.3.f.ii)

Who should attend? All municipal field staff should attend this training if they might come into contact with or otherwise observe an illicit discharge or illicit connection to the storm sewer system as part of their normal job responsibilities. This may include staff from Parks, Utilities (Stormwater and Street crews), Police, Fire, or other departments.

The training lasts approximately 1 hour and includes:

• An overview of the Phase II IDD&E permit requirements
• How to identify an illicit discharge/connection
• Proper procedures for reporting and responding to an illicit discharge/connection.

Option 2 – Response Level IDD&E Training (S.5.C.3.f.i)

Who should attend? Municipal field staff should attend this training if they are responsible for identification, investigation, termination, cleanup, and reporting illicit discharges, including spills, improper disposal, and illicit connections.

The training lasts approximately 4 hours and includes:

• How to identify, investigate, terminate, clean up, and report illicit discharges
• Effective field protocols and examples
• Enforcement and removal procedures
• A group dry weather inspection (weather permitting) of a stream or outfall of your choice
• Lessons learned from other jurisdictions.

Option 3 – Operations and Maintenance Training (S.5.C.5.h)

Who should attend? Municipal employees whose construction, operations, or maintenance job functions may impact stormwater quality.

The training lasts approximately 1 hour and includes:

• An overview of maintenance standards specified in Chapter 4 of Volume V of the 2005 Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington
• How to conduct annual inspections of stormwater treatment and flow control facilities
• How to conduct annual inspections of catch basins and inlets
• Sample field checklists to record inspection data
• Overview of best management practices (BMPs)
• Overview of standard operating procedures (SOPs) with examples
• Overview of how to develop and implement a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) with examples.

Location
Herrera will provide training at your offices, for as many or as few staff as you require, based on the NPDES training requirements.

Cost
Previous experience and repeat trainings allow us to keep costs low.  The cost of training will be negotiated with each jurisdiction – tailored to the needs of your jurisdiction, the training options selected (i.e., Option 1, 2, and/or 3), and the number of people trained.

Registration
If you are interested in receiving this training, please click here to register and we will follow-up to arrange the training.


Click here for more information about Herrera’s NPDES permit compliance and training experience

Herrera’s scientists and engineers have successfully completed a variety of projects relating to NPDES permit compliance including developing policies and procedures consistent with Ecology’s Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington and the Phase I and II municipal permits; preparing municipal stormwater pollution prevention plans (SWPPPs); performing operation and maintenance (O&M) inspections, source control inspections, IDDE awareness level training, stormwater Best Management Practice (BMP) training, water quality monitoring and analysis training, and spill response training; developing O&M checklists; identifying gaps in Phase II permit compliance; updating stormwater comprehensive plans; performing LID training in association with the Puget Sound Partnership; and performing statewide WSDOT Highway Runoff Manual training in 2006 and 2007. Herrera also has experience with a wide variety of relevant fieldwork including pollutant source tracking studies, outfall surveys, pollutant loading assessments, and stormwater BMP performance evaluations.

This complementary experience in the practical application of municipal procedures, combined with experience training municipal staff on those same procedures, allows us to develop training programs that not only meet basic NPDES permit requirements, but also resonate with staff and increase comprehension and performance. We understand which sections of the Phase II permit are most important (to municipal staff, and to Ecology), as well as most often misunderstood, and can help you incorporate this information into your current programs.