Last week I outlined some of the events at StormCon that deal
with advanced BMPs, including classes and discussion panels. Another popular
event for the last few years has been the Q&A session with a representative
of the Environmental Protection Agency—your chance to grill the EPA on recent
developments and new policies, and to get clarification on how the regs apply to
your own program. The Q&A session will take place on Thursday, August 7,
from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. Nikos Singelis, senior program analyst with the EPA’s
Office of Wastewater, will be on hand again this year to field your questions.
You can also submit questions ahead of time at www.stormcon.com/sc_questions.html.
On Monday, August 4, Nikos will also present an evening
session from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. called “EPA Stormwater Regulations 101,” covering
the basics of NPDES Phase II. This will be a great introduction to those who are
relatively new to the industry or who are just becoming involved with a Phase II
program.
On Tuesday, August 5, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m., you’ll find a
session called “New Tools From the EPA,” in which Nikos, along with John Kosco
of Tetra Tech and Mike Novotney and David Hirschman of the Center for Watershed
Protection, will cover the new multisector general permit for industrial
stormwater and the new construction general permit; the new Post-Construction
Manual developed by the EPA and the Center for Watershed Protection; and the
Web-based Urban BMP Performance Tool, which allows you to search for BMP
performance information by pollutant or by BMP type.
For those of you who want more—a full day’s worth—Nikos
Singelis, Lisa Nisenson, John Kosco, and David Hirschman are leading a
preconference workshop on Monday, August 4, called “EPA Presents
Post-Construction, LID, and Smart Growth as Stormwater BMPs.” These four experts
can help you explore the relationship between your site and the watershed and
understand how low-impact development and smart growth actually fit in to your
program.
And, for those of you who are also trying to fit total
maximum daily loads into the equation, a full-day class on Sunday, August 3,
“Integrating Stormwater Programs with TMDLs and Watershed Management Plans,”
shows how you can improve consistency between your stormwater program activities
and those required by TMDLs. John Kosco, Barry Tonning, Jennifer McDonnell,
Steven Davie, and Dan Christian of Tetra Tech will lead this workshop.
You can find full descriptions of all these events at www.StormCon.com.