Flood Warning

More EPA inspections make stormwater training the best ticket of 2009

A predicted increase in inspections by the EPA this construction season has many contractors investing in compliance measures and training to avoid hefty fines in a down year.

Now that the summer construction season is well under way and more jobsites across Colorado have accelerated their schedules, they are also likely to see an increase in the number of stormwater inspections conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency and local municipalities compared to last year.

“The increased number of inspections for Colorado, some 30 to 40, was based on a nationwide initiative,” says Tom Gore, a trainer for Altitude Training Associates of Lakewood, which specializes in stormwater inspection training. “These inspections could be targeting anything from sand and gravel to big box construction or even homebuilders.”

While construction activities have slowed throughout the state, a number of road and capital improvement projects are under way, ready for bid or being planned for the rest of 2009.

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Many of these are American Recovery & Reinvestment Act projects that the Colorado Department of Transportation must push through to receive full funding.

“Stormwater and erosion control are part of the Clean Water Act to protect public waterways and drinking water from contamination by ground sources, parking lots and agricultural runoff,” says Gore. “I think we are going to see a shift to examining more state-level projects and facilities rather than federal projects.”

To help prepare the industry for these inspections, organizations like the Colorado Contractors Association and the Associated General Contractors of Colorado are offering their members training courses from companies like Altitude, which help contractors understand how to comply with stormwater standards.

“There is a broad disparity between those that are compliant and those that aren’t,” says Gore. “But there are many contractors who have taken the time and expense to educate themselves, their staff and their trade partners, and developed resources and set aside funds to aggressively work for environmental regulations.”

Altitude expects to do 50 to 70 training classes this year, which include regularly scheduled courses and some private classes.

The company offers a two-day compliance inspector class and a construction groundwater dewatering class, which includes environmental permitting.

The state’s contractors need to be prepared for more surprise EPA site inspections this summer.

Altitude also teaches a CDOT erosion control class. It is the only contractor certified to deliver training for the state’s transportation department,

Compliance training is a good investment for Colorado’s construction industry, says Terry Kish, CCA’s director of safety and workforce development.

“Considering the economic climate, low availability of jobs and jobs being bid out 10% to 20% below engineers’ estimates, a fine from the EPA could wipe out all profit and then some from what contractors receive on a project,” he says.

The EPA would not comment on its inspection agenda for 2009, but the agency has contacted the Colorado Water Quality Control Division about the increased number of inspections, says Kathy Rosow of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s water quality division.

“The EPA does not typically notify anyone prior to the inspection,” she says. “They may provide a courtesy call to the WQCD 48 hours in advance, but for the most part, they are complete surprise visits.”

Useful Sources

For more information, go to:

EPA Stormwater Program
http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/

Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, Water Quality Control Division
www.cdphe.state.co.us/wq

AGC Colorado
www.agccolorado.org

CCA
www.coloradocontractors.org