Erosion and Stormwater Management Program History
The University of Minnesota began this program in 2002 as the Erosion/Sediment Control Certification Program to provide comprehensive construction stormwater training for project managers, contractors, inspectors, and designers in the construction industry. This program was created in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Transportation and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to provide certification to Minnesota Department of Transportation employees and contractors.
The program has now grown to provide training on many aspects of water regulations, including construction, municipal separate storm sewer system, and industrial stormwater National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System regulations.
Many of the classes offered provide a certification upon completion and achieving passing scores on an exam. This certification remains valid for 3 years, upon which the attendee must renew his/her certification with a refresher class that provides updates on regulations and technology. Certified individuals receive a laminated wallet card in the mail every spring, to provide a simple system to verify training. In addition, the list of certified individuals is also posted on the website, although individuals can have their names removed from the list for privacy reasons. Starting in 2009, hard hat stickers have also been issued with passing exam scores to provide another simple method of identifying certified individuals in the field.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation requires certification for personnel managing, inspecting, and installing stormwater management products on projects involving bridges, major grading projects, and all projects requiring an NPDES construction permit.
Attendance Records
Since 2002, the program has had over 43,360 certification attendees as of June 2021. In 2021, there were 9,176 valid certifications held by 8,111 individuals.
Generally, the program has had between 2500 and 3000 attendees in a given year.