SWPPP Training Requirements
The 2009 General Permit for Discharges of Storm Water Associated With Construction Activities specifies the training requirements for individuals participating in the erosion control activities for constructions sites in California. There are two distinct roles that need to be spelled out.
1. Qualified SWPPP Developer (QSD)
2. Qualifies SWPPP Practitioner (QSP)
Qualified SWPPP Developer
Taken straight from the General Permit
all SWPPPs are written, amended and certified by a Qualified SWPPP Developer (QSD). A QSD shall have one of the following registrations or certifications, and appropriate experience, as required for:
a. A California registered professional civil engineer;
b. A California registered professional geologist or engineering geologist;
c. A California registered landscape architect;
d. A professional hydrologist registered through the American Institute of Hydrology;
e. A Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC) registered through Enviro Cert International, Inc.;
f. A Certified Professional in Storm Water Quality (CPSWQ) registered through Enviro Cert International, Inc.; or
g. A professional in erosion and sediment control registered through the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET);
Just to make it very clear, there are distinct barriers to entry to preparing the SWPPP document which are not easily overcome without extensive education in the sciences of hydrology and erosion control. Also, for clarification the NICET option (g) of a qualified professional is a Level III certification. It is illegal for someone without these qualifications to prepare the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan for constructions sites greater than one acre in size.
Qualified SWPPP Practitioner
Taken straight from the General Permit
all BMPs…are implemented by a Qualified SWPPP Practitioner (QSP). A QSP is a person responsible for nonstorm water and storm water visual observations, sampling and analysis. Effective two years from the date of adoption of this General Permit, a QSP shall be either a QSD or have one of the following certifications:
a. A certified erosion, sediment and storm water inspector registered
through Enviro Cert International, Inc.; orb. A certified inspector of sediment and erosion control registered
through Certified Inspector of Sediment and Erosion Control, Inc.
Effective July 1, 2012 the QSP and the QSD will be required to have attended a State Water Board-sponsored or approved training course. These courses are still in development and not yet available - see QSD Training.