First Applicants Seek CMS4S Certification

July 1, 2010

This past May 10, in Indianapolis, IN, six applicants attended the first daylong review course for the latest EnviroCert International Inc. certification: Certified MS4 Specialist (CMS4S). Three days later, three of them also became the first to take and pass the three-hour written exam.

These two events follow testing of the beta versions of the review course and exam at the IECA EC10 annual conference three months earlier in Dallas, TX. Comments from those who participated in this beta trial were used to produce the final version, which debuted in Indianapolis. The purpose of the CMS4S program is to certify individuals who are technically and ethically qualified to manage or coordinate nationally consistent EPA NPDES municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) programs that comply with applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations. The primary target audience for this certification is Phase II MS4 staff. However, it can also benefit others such as Phase I MS4 staff, contractors, and regulators. “We were pleased with the mix of people from around the country who participated in the beta testing in Dallas and the results,” says Lori Gates, CPESC, CPSWQ, CMS4S, chair of the CMS4S Council, who led development of the CMS4S certification program and is a senior resource planner with Christopher B. Burke Engineering Ltd.’s Indianapolis office. “The evaluations included strong praise for the work of our Oversight Committee, which developed the manual for the review course and the exam.” On a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (very good), most of those who attended the review course rated it either 4 or 5. “The review course was more than what I expected,” wrote one of the attendees on the evaluation form. “It was clearly a validation for me in terms of being assured that I understood the stormwater program from a management perspective, as I hoped I had. The materials you presented and your method of facilitation was attention getting. I was truly able to connect all of my responsibilities and experiences to each one of your presentations. This opportunity [the review course] was very well worth attending.”

Basic Knowledge
Among the 11 members of the Oversight Committee was David Hirschman. He’s a program director for the Center for Watershed Protection. Based in Ellicott City, MD, the nonprofit educational organization is regarded by many as the leading organization for developing and promoting practices to detect and eliminate the discharge of pollutant into rivers, streams, and lakes. He and Joe Battiata, another member of the center’s staff, guided the committee in developing sections of the review manual that cover tracking and evaluation of an MS4 stormwater program as well as appropriate practices and procedures for post-construction stormwater management (one of the six minimum measures for a Phase II MS4).”The federal MS4 program treats a municipality almost like other “˜point-source dischargers,’ even though municipal stormwater is much more complex,” says Hirschman, who also serves as financial vice chair of the CMS4S Council. As he explains, this program requires a permit for a municipality to discharge stormwater into a stream or other body of water, because these stormwater systems are a major source of water pollution in the United States. To receive this permit, a municipality must adopt a set of minimum measures designed to minimize any degradation of the quality of receiving waters from municipal sewer discharge. However, many of the municipalities affected by the Phase II requirements have very small staffs with limited resources to develop and manage such a stormwater program. That’s where the CMS4S certification can play a key role, he notes. “It helps ensure that a municipality’s stormwater manager has a baseline knowledge of the Phase II requirements and certain level of technical competency to oversee such a stormwater management program,” Hirschman says.

Getting the Job Done
“The CMS4S review course and exam provide an overview of all aspects of a Phase II stormwater management program,” adds Harry Stark, the assistant public service director for the City of Wadsworth, OH, and administrative vice chair of the CMS4S Council. He also served on the Oversight Committee, helping to develop the review course manual and the exam. His background includes 11 years of experience working with communities to prevent illicit discharges from industrial, commercial, and residential sites into storm sewers.

“The premise behind the requirements to obtain the CMS4S certification is to provide the necessary background for managing a municipality’s stormwater program, whether you’re a public works director, a city engineer, or other staff member assigned that role,” he says. “You won’t become an expert in all the various areas. But you will gain a basic understanding of what needs to be done and the reasons behind those requirements. That will help you work more effectively with individuals you may hire who have the expertise to work in a specific aspect of your stormwater management program, such as controlling erosion and sediment.”

More information about the CMS4S certification program is available online at www.cms4s.org.