The State Water Resources Control Board’s, Colorado River Basin Regional Water Quality Control Board has an opening for an Environmental Scientist in the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System/401 Water Quality Certification (NPDES/401 WQC) Unit. The position location is 73-720 Fred Waring Dr. Suite 100, Palm Desert, CA 92260.
Duties: Under the close supervision of the Senior Environmental Scientist and consistent with good customer service practices and the goals of the State and Regional Water Board’s Strategic Plan, the incumbent is expected to be courteous and provide timely responses to internal/external customers, follow through on commitments, and to solicit and consider internal/external customer input when completing work assignments. This position is to work on California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) related projects. Duties may include participation in various Regional Water Board cross-program teams to address high priority issues. The incumbent, using scientific skills and judgment, performs water quality control activities in the assigned area of responsibility. Specific responsibilities include: Serve as the Regional Water Board’s liaison for Caltrans: Participate and communicate effectively on various technical and interagency committees, including those directly related to 401 WQC and dredge and fill activities and those related to broader programmatic Caltrans issues (e.g. stormwater, TMDLs, etc.) and research; represent the Regional Water Board policies before the general public, special interest groups, technical committees, and government agencies in the review of the Caltrans projects; Apply scientific concepts and principles about the environment, hydrology, aquatic resources, biological resources, and habitat protection to review 401 WQC applications; coordinate with federal, state, and local agencies for permit requirements as needed; prepare effective presentation materials and make logical, comprehensible and convincing written and oral presentations at public hearings and other meetings as required; evaluate environmental compliance of projects; ensure California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance; issue public notices; conduct site inspections and issue certification orders and/or WDRs in compliance with all regulatory requirements; review and analyze complex reports submitted by dischargers; enter and query information in the California Integrated Water Quality System (CIWQS) database and Stormwater Multiple Application and Report Tracking System (SMARTS);