Natural Resources Planner I | Maryland Department of the Environment | Handshake

The Natural Resources Planner I position at the Maryland Department of the Environment is an entry-level role focused on compliance monitoring of public drinking water facilities and shellfish harvesting waters. The job involves conducting inspections, collecting environmental data, and ensuring compliance with state and federal regulations. The position requires outdoor work in various weather conditions and the use of protective equipment. It is a full-time role based in Annapolis, MD.
The Natural Resources Planner I is an entry-level position that will perform compliance monitoring of public drinking water facilities in a regionally assigned area of the State. The incumbent in this position will generate environmental monitoring data used to determine a facility's compliance with Maryland regulations, as well as compliance with the regulations established under the Environmental Protection Agency's (U.S. EPA) Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The data collected at these permitted sites will be used by MDE's regulatory authorities in the Water and Science Administration (WSA) to enforce permit requirements and regulate Maryland's drinking water facilities to ensure maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) are not exceeded.



The incumbent will also perform various activities to assess and report the condition of shellfish harvesting waters of the Chesapeake Bay. This includes the inspection, evaluation, and identification of environmental impacts from point and non-point pollution sources affecting tidal and non-tidal waters. Inspections are conducted to identify actual or potential environmental impacts, including, but not limited to, improper animal waste practices, failing on-site wastewater treatment disposal systems, petroleum violations, and sediment/nutrient loading. The incumbent will carry out inspections to determine and enforce compliance with permit and license requirements and local, State, and Federal environmental laws and regulations. The incumbent will also assist in monitoring Maryland's shellfish harvesting waters by gathering physical, chemical, and bacteriological data in designated rivers, bays, and estuaries. This data assists MDE's Public Health Section in making regulatory decisions and supports regulatory mandates necessary for Maryland's continued Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) certification as a nationally approved shellfish exporting state.





The working conditions of this position may involve:

· The incumbent of this position must perform work in all weather conditions.

· The work involves potential exposure to many hazards, including (but not limited to) contact with chemicals used for sample preservation and water treatment processes, entry into confined spaces, proximity to loud machinery, as well as many natural and traveling hazards.

· The incumbent will also be required to climb ladders and lift heavy coolers containing samples and ice.

· The incumbent is required to wear protective equipment such as hard hats, latex surgical gloves, protective clothing, goggles for eye protection, and sunscreen as needed.



The incumbent in this position will be required to drive a State vehicle. If you maintain an out-of-state driving license, you must provide a certified copy of your driving record for the appropriate Motor Vehicle Administration at the time of appointment. Individuals must maintain a driver's license with no more than 5 points on their driving record in order to drive a State vehicle.