Virginia DEQ
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Continuing Education
Certifications must be renewed every three years in DEQ’s Certification Accreditation Tracking System (CATS). Contact hours can be acquired from DEQ and other organizations or companies and must be relevant to the certification.
Registration for DEQ's continuing education courses is available in ELMS on a quarterly basis. The full schedule is provided here for your planning purposes.
If you have questions, please email Certification@DEQ.Virginia.gov.
Training Schedule
Webinars for all ESC & SWM Certifications
Armoring Inspection Reports
This webinar (1 contact hour) is relevant for SWM/ESC inspector and program administrator certification renewals. This webinar discusses methods to document inspection observations and common issues and errors on inspection reports.
Dealing with Difficult Site Dilemmas
This webinar (1.5 contact hours) presents techniques to enhance communication skills with onsite personnel, neighboring residents, and other parties affected by a project. This webinar addresses hostile situations or attempts to inappropriately influence erosion and sediment control or stormwater staff work. Participants will learn skills to more effectively address site issues related to compliance or complaints. Participants will also be challenged to understand sites from a more diverse perspective.
Deep Dive into Post-Construction BMP (P-BMP) Inspections
This webinar (2.5 contact hours) discusses the life cycle of P-BMPs (from construction to post-construction), common maintenance issues, identification of functional components, and communication with the responsible party.
Erodibility, Sedimentation and Sediment Basin Design
This webinar (1 contact hour) discusses how soils erode and how sediment is transported and deposited in the context of sediment basin design, plan review and inspection.
Five Easy Rules for Erosion and Sediment Control
This webinar (2.5 contact hours) targets the construction industry but is suited for everyone who is certified in erosion and sediment control (ESC) and stormwater management (SWM). The webinar will provide general information about meeting and exceeding the erosion and sediment control program and construction general permit requirements. Subjects include: not doing the bare minimum; using common sense during development and protecting soils; some of the theory behind ESC and SWM; the construction sequence; grading plans; maintenance of ESC facilities; and not relying on one or two measures to protect the entire site.
Forest Open Space: Part 1 - Soil Restoration
This webinar (1 contact hour) is relevant for all SWM/ESC certification renewals. This webinar discusses common issues found in the soils of forest open space and ways of restoring the soil.
Forest Open Space: Part 2 - Vegetation Restoration
This webinar (1 contact hour) is relevant for all SWM/ESC certification renewals. The webinar discusses the restoration or improvement of existing forest open space areas and the creation or revegetation of new areas.
Is Soil Compaction Really That Bad
This webinar (1 contact hour) is relevant for all SWM/ESC certification renewals. The webinar concentrates on the proper compaction of embankments and around culverts. Soils mechanics, compaction, compaction equipment, etc. are discussed.
Phosphorus
This webinar (2 contact hours) is relevant for all SWM/ESC certification renewals. The discussion will take you from Phosphorus, the basic element and how it functions in biology, to some of the more contemporary ways of controlling it in stormwater discharge.
Plants for Bioretention
This webinar (1 contact hour) is relevant for all SWM/ESC certification renewals. The webinar discusses the interaction between plants and the bioretention mix (soil), reasons for plant selection, native plants, plants that accumulate contaminants, and installation and maintenance issues related to bioretention.
Seeding Demystified
This webinar (2 contact hours) supplements the Plants for ESC and SWM class on seeding and vegetation establishment. This webinar is intended for inspectors, plan reviewers and all individuals interested in establishing a permanent vegetative cover on their site that eventually will inhibit erosion and meet permit closure requirements. During the webinar, we will discuss a variety of subjects including: species selection; potential seed sources; optimal time of seeding; seeding methods; seeding rates and aftercare.
VA Stormwater Management Handbook - an Overview
This webinar (4 contact hours) covers how to: navigate and locate content in the new Handbook on-line interface; use the new BMP terminology and categories to communicate with other stormwater and/or design professionals; identify the new construction and post-construction BMPs and be able to efficiently locate technical requirements for these new BMPs; locate updated technical requirements for existing BMPs; and employ the regulatory compliance roadmap and stormwater site design process.
VA Stormwater Management Handbook - for Inspectors (part 1)
VA Stormwater Management Handbook - for Inspectors (part 2)
This webinar is split into two parts (3 hours each - total 6 contact hours) and covers how to: navigate and locate content in the new Handbook on-line interface; identify and apply the updated guidance in the new Handbook to the BMP and site inspection process; understand and apply the updated BMP terminology, categories, numbering and nomenclature sequence to inspection documentation and correspondence; leverage an understanding of the construction and post-construction BMPs and their function during the inspection process; and apply the proper inspection and maintenance procedures for construction and post-construction BMPs and implement corrective action procedures when required.
Vermin Control in Stormwater BMPs
This webinar (1.5 contact hours) is relevant for all SWM/ESC certification renewals. This webinar discusses the life cycle of pests that can sometimes infest stormwater BMPs and what can be done about them.
Why do we have Minimum Standards in Erosion and Sediment Control
This webinar (0.5 contact hour) is relevant for all SWM/ESC certification renewals. The Minimum Standards are the number one item an Erosion and Sediment Control inspector will use to inspect a project for potential violations. We will discuss what they are, why we need them, how they apply to a construction project and hopefully how to avoid violating them.
Webinars only for Plan Reviewers & Combined Administrators
Limits of Analysis
This 1.5 hour webinar (1.5 contact hours) is relevant for SWM and ESC plan reviewers and combined administrators. In the webinar, participants will review the water quantity requirements of 9VAC25-875-600 and how to apply these requirements in establishing the Limits of Analysis for both channel and flood protection on development sites. After this course participants should understand how to establish, or review, the downstream conveyance system of development sites to the Limits of Analysis based on contributing drainage area, peak flow rate, or a mapped floodplain and how to differentiate these between both channel and flood protection criteria.
Limits of Analysis Part II
This 1.5 hour webinar (1.5 contact hours) is relevant for SWM and ESC plan reviewers and combined administrators. Instructors will discuss the regulatory requirements associated with Limits of Analysis, geared toward the plan review and design community. There will be a brief review of the discussion in Part I, walkthrough examples of channel and flood compliance review, and evaluation of some common scenarios for plan reviewers to consider when approaching compliance checks for Limits of Analysis.
VA Stormwater Management Handbook - for Plan Reviewers/Designers (part 1)
VA Stormwater Management Handbook - for Plan Reviewers/Designers (part 2)
This webinar is split into two parts (3 hours each - total 6 contact hours) and covers how to: identify and apply the updated guidance within the Handbook to the plan review and design process; apply the updated BMP numbering and nomenclature sequence to design and plan review documentation and correspondence; identify new and updated BMPs and their functionality; apply recommended site design procedures and select appropriate BMPs based on site condition, location, and type of development; and apply a common sense approach to site plan preparation and plan review.
Virginia Runoff Reduction Method Spreadsheet Webinars
VRRM (version 4.1)
Two contact hours per webinar.
VRRM (version 3.0)
All webinars are 0.5 contact hours
101: Introduction to the new (v.3.0) spreadsheets
102: Working with the new development spreadsheet
103: Working with the redevelopment spreadsheet
200: How to use the spreadsheet to evaluate water quality compliance
301: The runoff reduction method in a spreadsheet: volume and load
401: What about Linear Projects?
402: Hydrologic soil groups and land cover types
403: Determining hydrologic soil groups for water quality compliance
501: Reviewing for water quality compliance, Part 1 of 4
502: Reviewing for water quality compliance, Part 2 of 4
BMPs
Search ELMS using "Stormwater BMP" and the course titles below. Courses can be used towards recertification for all certifications.
- Bioretention
- Constructed Wetlands
- Dry Swales
- Extended Detention Ponds
- Grass Channels
- Permeable Pavement
- Pollution Prevention
- Rainwater Harvesting
- Rooftop Disconnection
- Sheet Flow to Filter Strips
- Soil Compost Amendments
- Vegetated Roof
- Wet Ponds
ESC and SWM Certification Online Courses
Online courses from the ESC Online Prerequisites and SWM Online Prerequisites can be used for recertification. Search ELMS using the online course name listed in the linked documents above. The course must be relevant to your certification.
- Unless otherwise indicated, register an account in DEQ’s Environmental Learning Management System (ELMS) to enroll in continuing education classroom training
- Watch this video on how to register an account in ELMS
Visit the Recertification page for more information.
Contractor Training
DEQ has partnered with the Municipal Online Stormwater Training (MOST) Center to develop ESC for Construction Sites, an online course for contractors. This course provides an overview of erosion principles, sediment control practices and stormwater management requirements during construction.
The course contains four modules that must be completed in order. Each module takes approximately 30 minutes (0.5 contact hours).
ESC for Construction Sites