CESSWI PART I EXAM QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS 100% PASS
CESSWI is qualified to preform what inspections? - ✔✔Construction, post
construction, industrial, MS4
Clean Water Act year of creation and intent of law - ✔✔1972, enacted to
restore and maintain the physical, bio, chem integrity of the waters of the
US
CWA Section 402 - ✔✔Est. NPDES System, originally focused on industrial
process waste water and POTW
CWA Section 404 - ✔✔regulated impacts to waters of the US, typically
associated with a 401 certification
1
100% Pass Guarantee Katelyn Whitman, All Rights
,CWA Section 401 - ✔✔Regulates water quality impacts and state cert
systems, required permit issued by a federal agency for any activity that
may discharge a pollutant, Applies heavily in industrial sites
CWA Section 303 - ✔✔Establishes Water quality standards
Stormwater discharge definition - ✔✔stormwater runoff, snow melt runoff,
and surface runoff/drainage
To be subject to NPDES rules, stormwater must: - ✔✔be in a discernible
conveyance
Definitions of waters of the US - ✔✔All waters used in interstate or foreign
commerce, including those subject to tidal flows
o All interstate waters, including interstate wetlands
o All INTRAstate lakes, rivers, streams (intermittent also), mudflats, sand
flats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lake, or
natural ponds that the destruction of which would affect interstate/foreign
commerce including those which:
Could be used for recreational or other purposes
2
100% Pass Guarantee Katelyn Whitman, All Rights
,From which shellfish or fish could be retrieved and sold
Could be used for industrial purposes
o All impoundments of water defined by waters of the US by the above
o Tributaries of the waters defined above
o The territorial sea
o Wetlands adjacent to any of the waters defined above
Beneficial Uses definition - ✔✔Uses necessary for the survival of and well-
being of people, plants, and wildlife
Water quality standards definition - ✔✔state or tribal requirements that
define the water quality goals of a lake stream or other wateerbody by
designation the benefical uses and setting criteria to protect those uses
Section 303d - ✔✔est a process for states, territories, and tribes to i.d.
impaired waters, also referred to as water quality limited
TMDL - ✔✔id's the amount of a specific pollutnant that may be dicharged
to a water body, states are responsible for implementing
3
100% Pass Guarantee Katelyn Whitman, All Rights
, Waste load allocations - ✔✔allocations of pollutant loadings to point
sources
TMDL Implementation - ✔✔Define waste load allocation, develop
implementation plan to connect allocations and permits, translate
allocations to permit conditions.
Origin of NPDES stormwater regs - ✔✔NURP studies showed stormwater
had many of the same qualities of commercial, industrial areas
NPDES Phase I and II regs implemented via - ✔✔General permits for a
group of similar dischagers such as consutruction industry, industrial,
utilities
Individual permits for a single entity, facility or project
Phase I NPDES Permits ID'd as: - ✔✔Industrial activity
Construction activity <5 acres
Cities over 100k population
Phase II NPDES Permits ID'd as: - ✔✔Construction activity 1 - 5 acres
4
100% Pass Guarantee Katelyn Whitman, All Rights
AND ANSWERS 100% PASS
CESSWI is qualified to preform what inspections? - ✔✔Construction, post
construction, industrial, MS4
Clean Water Act year of creation and intent of law - ✔✔1972, enacted to
restore and maintain the physical, bio, chem integrity of the waters of the
US
CWA Section 402 - ✔✔Est. NPDES System, originally focused on industrial
process waste water and POTW
CWA Section 404 - ✔✔regulated impacts to waters of the US, typically
associated with a 401 certification
1
100% Pass Guarantee Katelyn Whitman, All Rights
,CWA Section 401 - ✔✔Regulates water quality impacts and state cert
systems, required permit issued by a federal agency for any activity that
may discharge a pollutant, Applies heavily in industrial sites
CWA Section 303 - ✔✔Establishes Water quality standards
Stormwater discharge definition - ✔✔stormwater runoff, snow melt runoff,
and surface runoff/drainage
To be subject to NPDES rules, stormwater must: - ✔✔be in a discernible
conveyance
Definitions of waters of the US - ✔✔All waters used in interstate or foreign
commerce, including those subject to tidal flows
o All interstate waters, including interstate wetlands
o All INTRAstate lakes, rivers, streams (intermittent also), mudflats, sand
flats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lake, or
natural ponds that the destruction of which would affect interstate/foreign
commerce including those which:
Could be used for recreational or other purposes
2
100% Pass Guarantee Katelyn Whitman, All Rights
,From which shellfish or fish could be retrieved and sold
Could be used for industrial purposes
o All impoundments of water defined by waters of the US by the above
o Tributaries of the waters defined above
o The territorial sea
o Wetlands adjacent to any of the waters defined above
Beneficial Uses definition - ✔✔Uses necessary for the survival of and well-
being of people, plants, and wildlife
Water quality standards definition - ✔✔state or tribal requirements that
define the water quality goals of a lake stream or other wateerbody by
designation the benefical uses and setting criteria to protect those uses
Section 303d - ✔✔est a process for states, territories, and tribes to i.d.
impaired waters, also referred to as water quality limited
TMDL - ✔✔id's the amount of a specific pollutnant that may be dicharged
to a water body, states are responsible for implementing
3
100% Pass Guarantee Katelyn Whitman, All Rights
, Waste load allocations - ✔✔allocations of pollutant loadings to point
sources
TMDL Implementation - ✔✔Define waste load allocation, develop
implementation plan to connect allocations and permits, translate
allocations to permit conditions.
Origin of NPDES stormwater regs - ✔✔NURP studies showed stormwater
had many of the same qualities of commercial, industrial areas
NPDES Phase I and II regs implemented via - ✔✔General permits for a
group of similar dischagers such as consutruction industry, industrial,
utilities
Individual permits for a single entity, facility or project
Phase I NPDES Permits ID'd as: - ✔✔Industrial activity
Construction activity <5 acres
Cities over 100k population
Phase II NPDES Permits ID'd as: - ✔✔Construction activity 1 - 5 acres
4
100% Pass Guarantee Katelyn Whitman, All Rights
