Description: With the release of the final Effluent Limitation Guidelines (ELG) regulations for construction sites by the EPA, it is important to fully understand the regulations and their implications. The technologies that the EPA describes as being able to achieve the prescribed regulations, namely Advanced Treatment Systems (ATS) and Passive Treatment Systems (PTS), are especially important to understand. We will discuss the new policy in-depth with respect to the discharge limits, timeline, application considerations and potential future implications. This is one of the most significant changes in stormwater regulations since the NPDES permits were issued.

About the Instructors:
Nathan Hardebeck – Nathan has been in the stormwater industry since 1999. He has participated in new BMP product releases into the industrial, construction and municipal markets and has been working for the past three years in the ATS industry. He has been asked to participate on state and federal policy panels to provide input on new regulations. He participates as a presenter for stormwater related conferences and educational courses. Nathan is a published author and photographer in nationally circulated publications.

Jason Ziemer - Jason is an environmental scientist whose work has focused on municipal, construction and industrial stormwater management. Mr. Ziemer holds two US patents on chitosan-based stormwater treatment technologies and served a critical role in the development of active treatment system (ATS) technologies including chitosan-enhanced sand filtration. Mr. Ziemer’s work has been published in more than a dozen technical papers and presentations for national industry magazines and professional association conferences. Mr. Ziemer enjoys instructing education courses related to erosion control and stormwater management and is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Northwest Environmental Business Council.

Course Topics:

Session 1 - Current Regulations: There are new numeric standards being proposed for the national construction NPDES permit. This session will focus on regulatory changes affecting NPDES permits at both the national and local level. We will break down the current status of the proposed ELG and discuss new updates and changes to the state and local stormwater programs. This segment will focus on the numeric limits that are being proposed on the construction permit, new BMPs, and how they have the potential to impact all stormwater programs. We will also discuss future numeric limits that will impact municipalities and industrial permits.

Session 2 - ATS - Advanced or Active Treatment Systems: This session is dedicated to defining new stormwater acronyms – ATS and PTS. According to the EPA, these systems are deemed the BAT (Best Available Technology) that most of the numeric limits are based on. We will help define the ATS and PTS technologies available in the marketplace most capable of meeting construction and industrial numeric limits.

Session 3 - Chemistry - Flocculants: This session will be dedicated to gaining more knowledge about the chemistries that are available for use in ATS and PTS systems. We will discuss the different application methods, address toxicity concerns and use designation specific to each State.

Session 4 - ATS Implementation Considerations: In this session we will discuss all the factors that need to be considered when applying ATS and PTS technology. We will discuss how to minimize the expense and maximize compliance. There will also be time allotted for questions.

Session 5 – In Field Site Visits: In this session we will go on site to discuss erosion and sediment control (ESC) techniques and discuss how the ELGs will impact the sites that we visit.