CESSWI Exam Section 1 Introduction – Questions &
Answers
Best Management Practices (BMPs) ✔️Ans - cover a wide range of
measures that are used to reduce or control sediment, stormwater, and other
pollutants within a specified area. The CESSWI will need to know:
- Objectives and Targeted Pollutants
- Applications/Limitations
- Implementation Considerations
- Inspecting
- Maintenance
- Potentially Associated BMPs
The Clean Water Act ✔️Ans - The fundamental purpose of the Clean Water
act is to protect the beneficial uses of surface waters. Originally the Federal
Water Pollution Control Act (1948), as amended in 1972 and 1977, was
enacted with the intent of restoring and maintaining the chemical, physical
and biological integrity of the waters of the United States. Regulated by the
EPA.
Section 401 of CWA - Water Quality Certification ✔️Ans - Requires that
any applicant for a federal permit to conduct any activity, including the
construction or operation of a facility that may result in the discharge of any
pollutant, must obtain certification of those activities from the state in which
the discharge originates.
Section 402 of CWA - National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES) Regulations ✔️Ans - Requires that all construction sites on an
acre or greater of land, as well as municipal, industrial and commercial
facilities discharging wastewater or stormwater directly from a point source
(a pipe, ditch or channel) into a surface water of the United States (a lake,
river, and/or ocean) must obtain permission under the National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. All NPDES permits are written
to ensure the Nation's receiving waters will achieve specified Water Quality
Standards (WQS).
POTW ✔️Ans - Publicly Owned Treatment Works
, MS4s ✔️Ans - Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems
Section 404 of CWA - Dredge/Fill Permitting ✔️Ans - Established a permit
program to regulate the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the
United States. The program's scope also includes the regulation of discharges
of dredged or fill material onto wetlands adjacent to national waters. This
permit program is administered by the Secretary of the Army through the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers.
Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments (CZARA) - Section 6217
✔️Ans - Requires the development of a Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control
Program Management Plan for every designated state under coastal zone
jurisdiction. The purpose of each plan is to address the nonpoint source
pollution concerns for coastal zone areas.
Stormwater ✔️Ans - Stormwater runoff, snow melt runoff, and surface
runoff and drainage. To be subject to the NPDES stormwater regulations,
stormwater must be in "any discernable, confined, and discrete conveyance,
including but not limited to, any pipe, ditch, channel, tunnel, conduit, well,
discrete fissure, container, rolling stock, concentrated animal feeding
operation, landfill leachate collection system, vessel or other floating craft
from which pollutants are or may be discharged." The term does not include
return flows from irrigated agriculture or agricultural stormwater runoff.
NPDES ✔️Ans - National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. The
NPDES requirements apply only to discharges of stormwater either directly or
through a municipal separate storm drain system, to waters of the United
States. If a facility does not discharge into waters of the United States, or
discharges through a combined (storm and sanitary) sewer system, it is not
subject to these regulations. Moreover, if the discharge always evaporates on
site or percolates into ground water, it is not subject to these regulations.
Waste treatment systems, including treatment ponds or lagoons designed to
meet the requirements of the CWA are not waters of the United States. In
addition, waters of the United States do not include prior converted cropland.
NPDES Permitting Phase I ✔️Ans - Construction operations that result in
the disturbance of five acres or more of total land area are subject to
regulation under Phase I of the NPDES rules. Not subject to Phase I regulation
Answers
Best Management Practices (BMPs) ✔️Ans - cover a wide range of
measures that are used to reduce or control sediment, stormwater, and other
pollutants within a specified area. The CESSWI will need to know:
- Objectives and Targeted Pollutants
- Applications/Limitations
- Implementation Considerations
- Inspecting
- Maintenance
- Potentially Associated BMPs
The Clean Water Act ✔️Ans - The fundamental purpose of the Clean Water
act is to protect the beneficial uses of surface waters. Originally the Federal
Water Pollution Control Act (1948), as amended in 1972 and 1977, was
enacted with the intent of restoring and maintaining the chemical, physical
and biological integrity of the waters of the United States. Regulated by the
EPA.
Section 401 of CWA - Water Quality Certification ✔️Ans - Requires that
any applicant for a federal permit to conduct any activity, including the
construction or operation of a facility that may result in the discharge of any
pollutant, must obtain certification of those activities from the state in which
the discharge originates.
Section 402 of CWA - National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES) Regulations ✔️Ans - Requires that all construction sites on an
acre or greater of land, as well as municipal, industrial and commercial
facilities discharging wastewater or stormwater directly from a point source
(a pipe, ditch or channel) into a surface water of the United States (a lake,
river, and/or ocean) must obtain permission under the National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. All NPDES permits are written
to ensure the Nation's receiving waters will achieve specified Water Quality
Standards (WQS).
POTW ✔️Ans - Publicly Owned Treatment Works
, MS4s ✔️Ans - Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems
Section 404 of CWA - Dredge/Fill Permitting ✔️Ans - Established a permit
program to regulate the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the
United States. The program's scope also includes the regulation of discharges
of dredged or fill material onto wetlands adjacent to national waters. This
permit program is administered by the Secretary of the Army through the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers.
Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments (CZARA) - Section 6217
✔️Ans - Requires the development of a Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control
Program Management Plan for every designated state under coastal zone
jurisdiction. The purpose of each plan is to address the nonpoint source
pollution concerns for coastal zone areas.
Stormwater ✔️Ans - Stormwater runoff, snow melt runoff, and surface
runoff and drainage. To be subject to the NPDES stormwater regulations,
stormwater must be in "any discernable, confined, and discrete conveyance,
including but not limited to, any pipe, ditch, channel, tunnel, conduit, well,
discrete fissure, container, rolling stock, concentrated animal feeding
operation, landfill leachate collection system, vessel or other floating craft
from which pollutants are or may be discharged." The term does not include
return flows from irrigated agriculture or agricultural stormwater runoff.
NPDES ✔️Ans - National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. The
NPDES requirements apply only to discharges of stormwater either directly or
through a municipal separate storm drain system, to waters of the United
States. If a facility does not discharge into waters of the United States, or
discharges through a combined (storm and sanitary) sewer system, it is not
subject to these regulations. Moreover, if the discharge always evaporates on
site or percolates into ground water, it is not subject to these regulations.
Waste treatment systems, including treatment ponds or lagoons designed to
meet the requirements of the CWA are not waters of the United States. In
addition, waters of the United States do not include prior converted cropland.
NPDES Permitting Phase I ✔️Ans - Construction operations that result in
the disturbance of five acres or more of total land area are subject to
regulation under Phase I of the NPDES rules. Not subject to Phase I regulation
