APWA announces stormwater manager certifications
KANSAS CITY, MO. — Twelve public works professionals from the United States and Canada recently obtained the first credentials given for the Certified Stormwater Manager (CSM) program from the American Public Works Association (APWA). The CSM Certification is intended for experts in the public and private sectors who coordinate and implement stormwater management programs for city, county, state, provincial, and federal agencies.

“Earning certification in the CSM program is a hallmark of excellence for these U.S. and Canadian stormwater professionals,” said APWA President Larry Koehle. “These individuals assist in administering drainage, flood control, and water quality programs.”

The Stormwater Manager Certification program is designed to ensure individual competency and provide the public works industry with recognized hiring and promotion standards. More information about the CSM program is available online at www.apwa.net/certification

IECA announces 2010 board of directors
DENVER — The International Erosion Control Association’s (IECA) membership voted to re-elect Sandy Mathews and Brock Peters, CISEC, to the 2010 board of directors. Joining Mathews and Peters is new board member Charles Riling, Jr.

Riling will begin his term in February alongside fellow board members Mike Chase, CPESC, CPSWQ, CESSWI; Julie Etra, CPESC; Ron Faucher, CPESC; Philip Handley, REM, CPESC; Lee Johnson, CPESC; Sandy Mathews; Rick Morse, CPESC, CPSS, CEnvP; Brock Peters, CISEC; and Tom Williams, CPESC.

Mathews is a senior scientist leading the Oakland, Calif., office of Larry Walker Associates. Peters is a professional erosion control contractor and consultant in Firth, Neb., with more than 30 years of progressive accomplishments in the construction industry. Riling is the special projects/environmental monitor for the West Virginia Division of Highways.

The IECA board of directors comprises nine members, each serving a three-year term. Board positions will be decided at the board meeting to be held at Environmental Connection 2010, IECA’s annual conference and expo, Feb. 16-20, in Dallas.

FGI presents first fabricated geomembranes course
ST. PAUL, MINN. — The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute’s (FGI) first course on “Constructing with Fabricated Geomembranes,” Oct. 23, 2009, was attended by 66 people and covered the design, specification, testing, manufacturing, fabrication, installation, inspection, and field testing of fabricated geomembranes in a variety of applications. Timothy D. Stark, Ph.D., moderated the course and 16 speakers offered perspectives from a wide range of experts.

The FGI is housed at the University of Illinois at Urban-Champaign. Stark is a professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with expertise in geotechnical engineering. He has been teaching, researching, and consulting on geosynthetics, stability of manmade slopes, and design of waste containment facilities for more than 15 years.