Start Here: A Primer on Erosion and Sediment Control

Presented by: Craig Benson

Education Track: Erosion and Sediment Control
Course Length: Half Day or Full Day
Credit: 4 or7 Professional Development Hours
Technical Level: Introduction

This introductory course is a must for those new to the erosion and sediment control field or those wishing to brush up on the fundamentals. The course will describe the basic categories and types of erosion, as well as their triggers on construction sites. A logical sequence of four lines of defense, including flow controls, erosion controls, sediment controls and good housekeeping will be outlined as well as an overview of BMPs and products available for each line of defense.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to describe basic erosional processes and differentiate between mass wasting, fluvial, and wind erosion, as well as define the terms erosion, sediment, sedimentation.
2. Participants will be able to list four lines of defense for site management: flow controls, erosion controls, sediment controls, and good housekeeping.
3. Participants will learn the importance of employing multiple BMPs to establish a logical sequence of treatment on a construction site.

Interested in this course? Please contact IECA Education at: education@ieca.org | 303-640-7554

Presented by Craig Benson

Mr. Craig Benson is a long-time member of the IECA, a two-term past President of the Western Chapter, and is currently serving on the Region 1 IECA Board of Directors. Mr. Benson has 25 years of professional, scientific, and construction experience in a wide variety of watershed rehabilitation, ecological restoration, agro-ecological planning, forest improvement, erosion control, and stormwater management projects in the United States, West Africa, and South America. He has worked in the government, private consulting, and non-profit sectors and has assisted international, federal, and state agencies, as well as municipalities, Tribal entities, and private clients through all phases of project funding acquisition, planning, implementation, public outreach, and monitoring.

Over the last 15 years, Craig has focused increasingly on stormwater management at multiple scales and levels of complexity, including basin-scale Non-point Source Pollution, watershed-scale TMDL implementation planning, reach-scale NPDES permit compliance, municipal Phase II MS4 stormwater management plans (SWMPs), and project-scale stormwater pollution prevention plans (SWPPPs). Mr. Benson is currently leading several watershed management and coordination teams focused on TMDL compliance in the Mad River and Elk River watersheds in Northern California.