Environmental Specialist, Senior

The Environmental Specialist, Senior position at Lee County Government in Fort Myers, FL involves overseeing the MS4 NPDES permit. Responsibilities include conducting inspections, data collection, public education, plan reviews, regulatory compliance, and stakeholder interaction. The role requires a Bachelor's degree in a related field and one year of experience in natural resources. It also involves GIS support and creating educational materials for outreach events.
This position is associated with the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit in the Division of Natural Resources.
• Inspections: Performs inspections, including construction, industrial, commercial, proactive, and complaint-driven issues; inspection of facilities, outfalls, and other physical and geographical features of the stormwater system.
• Data Collection: Data gathering, reporting, sample collection, and assessment.
• Education & Training: Public education and training, both municipal personnel and the private sector.
• Plan Review: Conducts thorough review of erosion control site plans and stormwater pollution prevention plans (SWP3) while participating in the development order process.
• Educational Materials: Creates, coordinates, and prepares educational materials and provides presentations as required by the NPDES MS4 permit.
• Regulatory Compliance: Enforces provisions of the Lee County Land Development Code, Chapter 14, and Lee County Landscape Ordinance, 08-08, related to clean water; this includes issuing citations and warnings for related violations. Illicit discharge investigations, resolutions, and enforcement.
• Procedure Development: Defines procedures through Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the NPDES program.
• Stakeholder Interaction: Interacts with professionals, peers, other regulatory agencies, and the public to achieve permit compliance, which may include a wide variety of information exchange and cooperation.
• Permit Review: Approves or denies SWP3s as part of the overall Development Order (DO) submittal and notifies Community Development as to the status (again approve/deny) of the Notice of Intent (NOIs). Coordinates and assists with the Division of Natural Resources review comments for DO submittals.
• Outreach Events: Presents materials related to pollution prevention and water quality improvement at public outreach events.
• Annual Reporting: Assists in compiling and preparing the annual MS4 report.
• Pollution Control: Assists with the bacterial pollution control plans for the FDEP verified watersheds, which may include but is not limited to: investigation of County waterways to locate pollutant sources; locate, identify, inspect and inventory private lift stations in the selected water bodies; identify appropriate locations for storm markers and complete installation; and locate, identify and resolve point source pollutant sources.
• Service Requests: Respond/investigate citizen request for action (RFA) with County staff when necessary. Create and manage databases related to the NPDES program.
• GIS Support: Assist Lee County Department of Transportation (LDOT) with GIS structure identification and flow direction, including the Division of Natural Resources water quality projects
• Mapping & Approvals: Creates GIS maps for Division use. Review and approve dewatering requests submitted for discharge into the MS4 through the LDOT right-of-way permitting process.
Minimum Requirements
• Requires any combination of education and experience equivalent to a Bachelor’s Degree in physical, natural, or biological science, environmental science, or a closely related field.
• Requires one year of natural resources or closely related experience.
Licenses
• Possession of a valid driver's license with an acceptable driving record is required.
• Possession of the Florida Stormwater Erosion and Sedimentation Control Inspector certification or the ability to obtain this certification within three (3) months of hire date.
• Possession of the Florida Stormwater Erosion and Sedimentation Control instructor certification for inspector training classes, or the ability to obtain this certification when a training opportunity becomes available.
• Possession of the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) certification or the ability to obtain this certification when a training opportunity becomes available.
• Understanding of Best Management Practices (BMPs) related to stormwater runoff management and the Clean Water Act, specifically as they pertain to compliance with the NPDES MS4 permit requirements.
• Ability to safely and efficiently operate a motor vehicle and perform field investigations.
• Demonstrated capability to work independently with minimal supervision as well as collaboratively within a team. Strong time management skills, the ability to prioritize tasks, maintain oversight of current responsibilities, and follow up on outstanding issues.
• Proficient in using a personal computer for drafting correspondence, updating databases and GIS data, and conducting internet research on relevant topics.

The workdays and hours are Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.