Civil and Environmental Engineering 599

Environmental Regulations

Course Introduction

Welcome

I am pleased that you have enrolled in CEE 599, Environmental Regulation, and I look forward to working with you. I encourage you to begin working on the course right away.

To start, please be sure to post your autobiography in the BIO Discussion Forum, linked from the Course Calendar. Please note the due dates for assignments, discussion forums, and course project are also found on this calendar.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites beyond the ability developed through undergraduate training to analyze cases, think critically, and express yourself in writing.

Course Overview

You will begin this course and concentrate for most of its length on learning the background of and how to comply with the regulations pertaining to stormwater runoff from construction sites, the most complex and comprehensively regulated area. These circumstances stem directly from the federal Clean Water Act and associated state regulatory authority, of which Washington presents a typical example. The course will cover the following topics:

• why these regulations are needed and how they developed;
• what they require in general;
• ways in which construction sites become sources of water pollutants;
• how to analyze sites and their potential problems and prepare plans to solve them; and
• the best practices to avoid or reduce pollutant releases.

We will also cover more briefly, but in the same fashion, regulations pertaining to construction in the areas of air quality; hazardous wastes; dredge and fill operations in water bodies, including wetlands; and endangered species.

Environmental and Regulatory Challenges

Construction disturbs vegetation and soil, exposing it to erosion and releasing sediments that can be carried in rain runoff onto other properties and into water bodies. Construction involves the use of heavy equipment, which emits both water and air contaminants, and uses materials and produces wastes that are potentially polluting.  These environmental conditions have become subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations, which have created a new and different challenge to the construction industry. I have found that this challenge is surmountable when construction personnel understand the reasons for these regulations; how problems arise; and, most crucially, how they can be avoided or minimized. My realization that construction personnel become partners of those trying to protect the environment when they have the tools led me into developing and teaching this course. I hope that what you learn in this course will ease your challenges in this area and help make your construction sites models of environmental excellence.

Course Overview

In general, this course is designed to give you a background in: (1) the laws and regulations applying to construction sites in water pollution and other environmental areas ("know what's expected"), (2) the origins of environmental problems on construction sites ("know the enemy"), and (3) problem-solving practices and how to use them ("know how to win the game").

After completing this course, you will be able to:

• describe how regulations relating to their everyday work grew out of recognized environmental damage and consequent legislation aimed at ameliorating this damage;
• identify the specific requirements they will be expected to fulfill in complying with these regulations;
• analyze the geological, soils, hydrologic, hydraulic, topographic, and vegetation conditions on a construction site to infer the type and extent of potential water pollution problems posed by soil erosion when building on that site;
• analyze the type and extent of water pollution problems posed by construction vehicles and other equipment and by materials employed in and wastes produced by construction;
• prepare and implement a stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) to avoid or minimize the identified problems;
• as part of the planning process, identify the best practices to address the identified problems;
• specify and implement proper design, installation, and maintenance of the selected practices;
• inspect a construction site to determine the relative success or failure of the selected and installed practices and identify needs for replacement with a different practice, rebuilding, or maintenance;
• describe alternative hazardous and waste reduction and disposal strategies and choose the best alternative for a given case;
• describe developing federal standards for Diesel engines and how they will affect construction equipment;
• specify proper dust control to reduce this air pollution source at construction sites;
• determine when a dredge or fill permit is required and how to navigate the permit process; and
• determine when an Endangered Species Act certification is required and how to go about obtaining one.

The Online Environment

Your online course offers several advantages to the traditional classroom, including the comprehensive Online Student Handbook, the ability to communicate electronically with students and with your instructor, and links to a rich array of online resources.

Online Student Handbook

This handbook answers questions about your online learning course, such as how to purchase your text, schedule an exam, obtain a transcript, and get technical help if you need it. The handbook also provides additional resources, such as how to order books or journals from the library and how to study for an online course.

Communication with Your Instructor and Student Peers

• Online Discussion Forums, designed by the University of Washington award winning Catalyst team, allow you to communicate with other currently enrolled students and with your instructor. We encourage you to use the forum to exchange ideas, resources, and comments about your course work with other students in this course. This unstructured forum is monitored by your instructor.
• You can use e-mail to ask me a question or preferably post your question on the forum. I will reply on the same forum.

Online Resources

As an online student, you have access to a wealth of Web resources compiled to provide fast, easy access to information that supports your online learning experience. Organized by subjects, Online Resources link you to sites with help for writing and research, study skills, language learning, and library reference materials. All links have been assessed for credibility and reliability, and they are regularly monitored to ensure their usability.

About the Readings

Readings will be assigned to accompany each lesson from the required textbook. Most readings will be in the required textbook, with the remainder in the optional text and recommended materials.

Required Textbook

• Dodson, R.D.  Storm Water Pollution Control:  Municipal, Industrial, and Construction NPDES Compliance, 2nd edition.  McGraw-Hill, New York, 1999.

This text does a fine job on the subject matter of the majority of the course, but also includes other topics. You will make direct use of about half of the material in this book. The text can be ordered through online bookstores.

Optional Text

• Fifield, J.S. Field Manual on Sediment and Erosion Control Best Management Practices for Contractors and Inspectors, 2nd edition. Forester Press, Santa Barbara, CA, 2002.

This manual is a practical guide to the principal topic of this course. It is highly recommended, especially if your work responsibilities currently or will in the future include sediment and erosion control. The manual can be purchased for $39.99 (as of this writing) from http://www.foresterpress.com/fp.html.

Course Resources

You will find additional readings and resources on the Course Resources page, linked from the syllabus. Except for the Introduction, entries are listed by lesson and provide links to Internet sites with assigned reading material. You will also find links to slides, supplemental texts, videos, and other resources related to environmental regulations. The entries listed for the Introduction provide access to sites you will likely find invaluable throughout the course. You may find it useful to print the Course Resources page as a handy reference.

We try to keep links updated, but if you find any not working please contact your instructor.

About the Course

This course has seven lessons, seven lesson activities that include class participation via discussion forums and individual assignments, and one final project. Class participation will require you to post links and responses in a message board. You will submit the completed assignments (essays, tables, maps, etc.) and research papers. In addition, you will find a course calendar, key terms, and self-study exercises in this course.

Course Calendar

A course calendar linked from your syllabus provides due dates for all required work and links, lesson by lesson, to all the discussion forums and the assignment turn-in area. You can print this file as a handy reference.

Key Terms

Each lesson includes terms that are important to the concepts you will learn in the lesson and are intended to serve as guides to your study; these terms are highlighted where they appear in the text, and are also shown in a sidebar and compiled at the end of the lessons. You will be expected to use the terms in your written work and presentation material whenever possible. You will find the terms defined either in the lesson commentary, the assigned readings, or both.

Self-study Exercises

There are several Self-study Exercises in this course that allow you to apply the concepts presented in the course material. These are for practice only and do not need to be submitted.

About the Lessons

The seven lessons are to be completed in a seven-week period. The time allocated for each lesson is typically Monday through Sunday. The lessons are:

Lesson One

Construction Site Sources of Environmental Problems and the Legislation to Address Them—after introducing the course, the first lesson overviews the federal laws governing the various environmental compliance requirements within the course’s scope at construction sites in all states. In each case the lesson points out the recognized environmental problems behind passing the legislation.

Lesson Activity: Discussion Forums

An online discussion forum will be conducted each week in connection with each lesson (See the Lesson Activity page). The forums will serve several purposes: to answer your questions about the lesson material and assignments; to have give-and-take discussions on issues posed by the instructor; and for information sharing among students. You will find discussion forum topics at the top of the assignment page.

You are encouraged to read the text material and the lesson commentary early in the week to give you the foundation to participate effectively in discussions. You are further encouraged to review the assignment early in the week, so that you have the maximum chance to get answers to your questions.  My schedule is variable, and a last-minute answer to a question just before an assignment is due on Monday morning cannot be guaranteed.

With the exception of Lesson One, acceptable participation in the forum is at least one thoughtful, concise, and well-written original posting or response to another student’s posting regarding each issue posed for discussion. For Lesson One everybody must make an original posting. Please see the Course Calendar for the date and time to post to receive credit.

Asking Questions

If you have questions about lessons or assignments, please post them in the discussion forum. Please do not e-mail me directly with your questions, as I will post all responses to questions on the forum as a resource for other students. It's not that I don't want to hear from you—on the contrary, I want to hear what you have to say and ask, and I want all of your co-students to hear it as well! You will find your fellow students to be a great source of help and ideas, and all students are encouraged to post replies to other students' postings. I encourage you to post both technical and conceptual questions in the forums. Of course, you may e-mail me if you have a particular issue unsuitable for public posting.

Lesson Activity: Assignments

Each lesson includes a related assignment (See the Lesson Activity page). The nature of the assignment varies, depending on the lesson material. Over the duration of the course, assignments involve locating and using supplementary resources via the Internet, elementary mathematical problem solving, and brief essay writing. You should expect to put two to three hours per lesson into completing the assignment.

Please see the Course Calendar for the date and time to post assignments to receive credit. Late assignments will not be accepted without the presentation by e-mail of an acceptable, convincing reason why the delay is unavoidable. Any permitted late assignment must be submitted within one week of the original due date.

Evaluation criteria will be found within each assignment. You will receive feedback on your assignment submittals in the week following the due date. Feedback will consist of an evaluation score that will count in the final grading plus remarks intended, as appropriate, to reinforce or correct your submittal.

Submitting Assignments and My Feedback

You will post each assignment using E-Submit. Please see the Course Calendar for due dates to post your responses to assignment questions.

The Project Report is a special case, because it may require making or annotating a large drawing that could be difficult to submit electronically. I have said in the project instructions that you may mail (US mail) that drawing if electronic submittal is infeasible. If you want me to return the drawing to you, please send a self-addressed, envelope stamped with adequate postage.

I will normally e-mail you feedback on assignments and the project. If there is any reason to communicate in another form, we can make individual arrangements.

About the Course Project

The major evaluation instrument for this course will be an individual project. The project will involve selecting an actual construction site and working through the full set of water pollution considerations presented in the course. Completing the project will require using the information, analytical techniques, and methods for avoiding or minimizing water pollution problems learned in the course. It is preferable for you to have at least some direct experience with the site chosen. If no such site is available or appropriate for the project, the selection can be a site from the experience of your agency or firm for which sufficient background information is available to perform the necessary tasks. Evaluation criteria will be found within the course project material. 

Assessment and Grading

You will be graded on two activities for each lesson: discussion forum participation and an assignment.

Full credit for discussion forum participation requires more than simply making a single posting before the deadline. To receive full credit, you will have to post early enough in most weeks to give your fellow students a chance to respond to you and also post a response to others in most weeks.

Each assignment will be graded on a 0–10 point system generally assessing the correctness of a mathematical solution or verbal answer. Some assignment questions do not have a single right answer, and you are asked to justify your answer. In these cases, scoring will reflect both the appropriateness and justification of your answer.

Grades will be computed according to:

Task	Percentage
Discussion Forum Participation	20%
Assignments	40%
Course Project	40%

Study Hints

I recommend that you begin each lesson early in the week by noting the subjects of the discussion forum and assignment for the lesson. Early in the week, also, read the text assignment and then the lesson commentary. Then raise any questions for clarification using the discussion forum. Begin to plot what you wish to post on the forum issues and how you will approach the assignment. Try to make an original posting to the forum by mid-week to give others ample opportunity for response. Conclude the lesson by drawing on what you have learned through the reading and discussions to complete the assignment.

About the Developer

Richard Horner (also your course instructor), usually goes by Rich. He is a half-time research associate professor at the University of Washington with appointments in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the Department of Landscape Architecture, and the Center for Urban Horticulture. He is also a sole-proprietor consultant in the fields of water pollution, water resources, and aquatic ecology. Rich's interests involve the effects of human activities on the health of water resources, particularly those in urban areas.  He has taught and performed research and consulting in all aspects of these problems, including their sources, the damage caused to aquatic habitats and living organisms, and solutions through management of the overall landscape and individual source areas. As a consultant, his clients include an array of state and local agencies in Washington, British Columbia, and Oregon, in addition to citizens' environmental groups in Washington and California.  He is the co-author of two books and author or co-author of numerous technical and scientific papers drawn from this research. You can read more about Rich on the About Your Instructor page.

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