CPSWQ—Certified Professional in Stormwater Quality

Become a certified stormwater professional or just take the review session on Wednesday, October 3, to brush up on your skills and take the exam at a later date. Either way, you will have a full-day review session and the opportunity to take the full-day certification exam on Thursday, October 4, both at the Hanover Marriott in Whippany, NJ.

Registration Instructions

• To register for the full-day review session complete the registration form here. You may register for the review session and elect not to take the exam at this time. See www.cpesc.org for future exam dates.
• To take the review course and certification exam you must complete the registration form here or register online and also apply to the Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC) organization for a letter of approval from CPESC to take the exam.  See details under “How to Apply for the CPSWQ Exam.”

What Is CPSWQ?
How to Get Certified
How to Register for the Exam Review Session
How to Apply for the Exam
Who Sponsors CPSWQ Certification?
Your Instructor for the Exam Review Session

What Is CPSWQ? Certified Professional in Stormwater Quality certification provides evidence of qualifications in stormwater management principles and methods. CPSWQ certification is available to those who have the educational training, demonstrated expertise, and experience in computing, analyzing, and evaluating stormwater quality. CPSWQ certification can benefit you in several ways:

• enhancing your professional credibility,
• promoting public awareness of the stormwater profession,
• having greater influence on policy decisions affecting technical and professional issues,
• gaining access to educational opportunities and sources of information,
• improving your career opportunities through professional contacts.

Back to top

How to Get Certified.Applicants must pass a proctored one-day examination covering hydrology, environmental indicators, impacts of urbanization, and federal and state laws and regulations. A full-day Exam Review Session is offered on Wednesday, October 3, 2007, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The exam will be offered on Thursday, October 4, 2007, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Back to top

How to Register for the Exam Review Session. Anyone is eligible to attend the full-day Exam Review Session on October 3. You must complete the Registration Form to reserve your space. Click here for the registration form or register online. Your registration fee for the Exam Review Session includes an exam workbook covering the information on the CPSWQ exam. If you're taking the exam or considering becoming certified in the future, this is a great review of stormwater essentials, hydrology, and urban runoff.

Back to top

How to Apply for the Exam. T To be eligible to take the CPSWQ exam on October 4, you must register for the review session and exam using the form in the program or online at www.stormcon.com/newjersey and also apply to the certifying organization, CPESC, with your academic and work history and professional references. For a CPSWQ exam application form and further information please visit www.cpesc.org. You are not eligible to take the exam unless you have received a confirmation letter by mail from CPESC prior to the exam date.

CPSWQ Exam Application Deadline. The CPESC review committee needs seven weeks to evaluate your information and confirm your eligibility to sit for the exam. Your materials must be received by August 14, 2007, to allow enough time for review.

For further information about application requirements and fees, contact:
David Ward
CPESC Inc.
Phone: 828-655-1600
Fax: 828-655-1622
E-mail: david@cpesc.org
Web Site: www.cpesc.org
Mailing Address: 49 State Street
Marion, NC 28752-4020

Back to top

Who Sponsors CPSWQ Certification? The Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC) program has been certifying professionals for more than 20 years. The CPESC program is sponsored by the International Erosion Control Association and the Soil and Water Conservation Society and is recognized by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. In 1998 the CPESC Council developed a certification program for stormwater professionals who had already obtained CPESC certification. Now, with input from EPA, this CPSWQ certification is available for stormwater professionals who do not necessarily have CPESC certification.

Back to top

Instructor:
Don Lake, Engineering Specialist to the New York State Soil and Water Conservation Committee, Cortland County SWCD

Don graduated from the State University of New York in Buffalo in 1970 with a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering. He is a licensed professional engineer in New York, a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC), and a Certified Professional in Storm Water Quality (CPSWQ). Don “retired” from the USDA- Natural Resources Conservation Service in 1995 after 27 years of service. He is the principal author of the “New York Standards and Specifications for the Erosion and Sediment Control” and the “New York Standards and Specifications for the Erosion and Sediment Control” and the “New York Contractors Erosion and Sediment Control Field Notebook.” He is adjunct Professor at Syracuse University and at The State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry where he teaches a graduate engineering course on erosion control and storm water design. He developed the Storm water Short Course curriculum presented through Syracuse University and currently by SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry. He has presented over 560 training sessions in erosion and sediment control, hydrology, and storm water management throughout the country and he is a past recipient of the International Erosion Control Association's Sustained Contributor Award. Don is currently employed by the Cortland County SWCD as Engineering Specialist to the New York State Soil and Water Conservation Committee assisting NYS-DEC with the implementation of their storm water program.

Back to top

CISEC—Certified Inspector of Sediment and Erosion Control Training Modules and Certification Exam

Certified Inspector of Sediment and Erosion Control. Please note: To take the CISEC certification exam you must have received a letter of approval from CISEC Inc. See details under "How to Apply for the Exam." Additional information and the required forms are available at www.cisecinc.org. You may register to attend the training modules only without having totake the exam the next day. However, if you register for the review session only, you may not take the exam the following day unless you have written permission from CISEC, Inc.   

What Is CISEC?
How to Get Certified
How to Register for the Exam Review Session
How to Apply for the Exam
Who Sponsors CISEC Certification?
Your Instructor for the Exam Review Session

Training Modules 1 through 3: Wednesday, October 3, 2007,
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Training Module 4 andExam: Thursday, October 4, 2007,
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

What is CISEC?  StormCon is pleased to offer CISEC, Inc.'s sediment and erosion control inspection training modules and certification exam. If you are an experienced construction site inspector, you can take the next professional step by becoming CISEC certified to show your distinction in the field.

The CISEC certification will:

• Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge in the principles and practices of sediment and erosion control and their applicability to development of discharge permit documents
• Demonstrate the necessary skills to observe onsite and offsite conditions that impact the quality of stormwater discharges from active construction sites
• Demonstrate the ability to inspect installed best management practices and their ongoing maintenance to determine if the mitigation measures will minimize the discharge of sediment and other pollutants from active construction sites
• Demonstrate the ability to communicate and report on the inspection of active construction sites as to whether compliance issues may exist with federal, state, and/or local discharge permit regulations

Back to top

How to Get Certified. A Certified Inspector of Sediment and Erosion Control (CISEC) is one who has demonstrated his or her proficiency in observing, inspecting, and reporting on the implementation of stormwater pollution prevention plans (SWPPPs) as specified in EPA's Construction General Permit.

Minimum Qualifications
An applicant becoming a CISEC will have the following background:

• A complete understanding about sediment and erosion processes and how the discharge of pollutants associated with construction activities may impact the environment    
• The ability to meet the EPA's requirements for a qualified inspector and an understanding of federal regulations associated with the NPDES discharge permit
• Ability to read and understand construction-site SWPPPs and to fully comprehend accompanying sediment and erosion control drawings    
• Construction-site experience on inspecting the installation and maintenance of BMPs, identifying waste management problems, and addressing impacts by non-stormwater discharges
• The ability to communicate and write accurate inspection reports. Applicants are expected to have inspection skills in one or more of the following types of construction projects: large land development; linear (e.g., roadway, pipeline); vertical (e.g., town homes, single-family residences); big box (e.g., commercial buildings).

Back to top

How to Register for the Training Modules and Exam. Anyone is eligible to attend the training modules on Wednesday, October 3 and Thursday morning, October 4, 2007 in New Jersey. You must complete the Registration Form here to reserve your space. Your registration fee for the training modules includes a workbook for use with the modules that contain essential information to prepare for the CISEC certification exam.

Whether you're taking the exam or considering becoming certified in the future, this is a great opportunity to review the principles of site inspection and erosion and sediment control.

How to Apply for the Exam. To be eligible to sit for the CISEC exam on Thursday, October 4 in New Jersey, you must register for the training modules using the registration form here and also apply to the certifying organization, CISEC Inc. to sit for the certification examination. For a CISEC exam application form and information, please visit www.cisecinc.org. To download an application for the examination andpayment form in PDF format,visit: http://www.cisecinc.org/id1.html.

You are not eligible to take the exam unless you have received a confirmation letter by mail from the CISEC organization prior to the exam date.

CISEC Exam Application Deadline. The CISEC review committee needs 30 days to evaluate your information and confirm your eligibility to sit for the exam. Your materials must be received by September 3, 2007 to allow enough time for review.

For further information about the exam application, eligibility, and fee, contact:
CISEC Inc.
Ph: 720-235-2783
Fax: 303-841-6386
E-mail: cisec_inc@yahoo.com
Web Site: www.cisecinc.org
Address: P.O. Box 188, Parker, CO 80134

Jerald S. Fifield, Ph.D., CPESC                  
HydroDynamics Incorporated     
P.O. Box 1327                                    
Parker, CO 80134                             
Phone: 303-841-0377
Fax: 303-841-6386
E-Mail: hdi@ecentral.com

Interested in:
Designing for Effective Sediment and Erosion Control on Construction Sites

Field Manual on Sediment and Erosion Control Best Management Practices for
Contractors and Inspectors

Check out www.foresterpress.com

Back to top

Who Sponsors CISEC Certification? The Certified Inspector in Sediment and Erosion Control (CISEC) program was launched at StormCon in 2006 by Jerald S. Fifield. The CISEC program has already been adopted by numerous state organizations and private contractors as the industry standard.

Back to top

Your Instructor for the Exam Review Session is Jerald S. Fifield, Ph.D., CPESC, President, CISEC Inc.; Principal, HydroDynamics, Inc.

Jerald has more than 20 years of experience in working with contractors and designers to ensure NPDES permit requirements are met. He has authored books and numerous papers on the subject and trained thousands in how to achieve effective sediment and erosion control on construction sites. He has worked with contractors, inspectors, developers, engineering firms, municipalities, counties, and federal agencies.

Back to top