Artists, Photographers & Crayon Scribblers Wanted!

The Clark Fork Watershed Education Program (CFWEP) and Butte-Silver Bow have teamed up to increase stormwater awareness in our community by placing public art on traffic signal boxes throughout Butte. Community members often don’t realize that all of Butte’s stormwater is untreated and eventually makes its way into either Blacktail or Silver Bow Creek. Unfortunately, this means trash, oil, and other materials make their way into these important bodies of water threatening the health of our precious water resources. The goal of this effort is to increase awareness of storm drain connections to our creeks while adding vibrancy to our community through public art installations (cfwep.org).

Here’s where you, your kids, family members and friends come in—we need artwork/photos!

WET is sponsoring four (4) traffic signal boxes in Butte that will be wrapped in artwork. If you would like to submit something, we will be accepting artwork until August 19, 2019. See artwork submission details below.

The winner will get their…

-Artwork displayed on a traffic signal box

-Name on a plaque at the traffic signal box location

-Photo taken with their traffic box to be placed on the CFWEP website

-Artwork showcased on WET’s social media sites

ALL ages and all artwork types welcome!

Artwork theme: ecological, aquatic, or riparian connectedness theme—honoring the unique ecology and beauty of the summit valley, our water resources, and the outdoor areas we all know and love.

___________________________________________________________________

Please submit artwork along with your name, phone, email, and artwork details.

Submit Digital Art: Email art to Kali Cummings at kcummings@waterenvtech.com.

Submit Hardcopy Art: Deliver or mail art to Water & Environmental Technologies (WET)  |  ATTN: Kali Cummings  |  Marketing Specialist  |  480 East Park Street  |  Butte, MT 59701

 

If you have questions, please contact Kali at (406) 723-1530 or kcummings@waterenvtech.com.

Photos and artwork must be an original creation—no copyrighted art or photos may be used. WET is not responsible for intellectual property violations that might have resulted through the submissions of art or photos.

 

Winners

Congratulations to our four winners, Chad O’Connell, P.A. Jones, Valerie Manne, and Zenia Monteagudo! Stay tuned for more updates and images as these works of art get wrapped around Butte traffic signal boxes.

 What do you do at WET (title and short/high level/laymen job description)?

I’m a Project Engineer for WET. I manage and design projects. This includes modeling and designing water mains, sanitary sewers, storm sewers, and site development; preparing project specifications and bid packages; and providing construction oversite and testing. I help on our permitting team when I can. I also survey from time to time.

 

How long have you been in the industry? How long with WET?

I have been in the consulting field for 3 years, 2 for WET. Before consulting I was a mining engineer at a strip coal mine for 3.5 years.

 

What is the most satisfying part of your job?

Most satisfying part of my job is working with the awesome team at WET to deliver projects just the way our Clients envision.

 

What do you do in your spare time (hobbies, sports, volunteering, family events, etc)?

When I’m not killing it in the office, I enjoy running, fishing, hunting, hiking, spending time with my family, and playing sports. Whenever I find a day to be at home, you bet I’ll be throwing some meat on the smoker.

 

What is an interesting/obscure fact about yourself?

I have a twin sister who is 26 minutes older than me.

 

    Putting the WE in WET—What Employee-Ownership Means to Us     As we celebrate Employee Ownership Month, we reflect on what it means to be an employee-owner and work for a company that is 100% employee-owned.    Casselbury (2018) states, “An employee-owned company plan is more commonly referred to as an ‘employee stock […]

Title: Intern.

Job: I wear a lot of different hats at WET to fill whatever role I can. Sometimes I accompany an engineer into the field and help them with well sampling or surveying. Sometimes I build things that need to be built, or fix things that need to be fixed. Sometimes I’m given raw computer data and asked to put it into a more manageable form. Ultimately, everything that I do helps build the experience I’ll need to make the transition to engineer-in-training.

 

How long have you been in the industry? How long with WET?

This is my third year as an environmental intern, and my second with WET.

 

What is the most satisfying part of your job?

The dynamism – I never feel bored at work! Very rarely is anything that I do exactly like something I’ve done before. Every day I get to expand my knowledge of, and experience in, the consulting world.

 

What do you do in your spare time?

Since I’m still a student, spare time is sometimes tough for me to come by! But I usually fill my open days with reading and photography. During the summer, I try to go to as many concerts as I can.

 

What is an interesting/obscure fact about yourself?

In 8th grade, I taught myself how to write backwards, so the paper could be read normally on the other side when held up to a light. I still do it from time to time.

 

 

January 1, 2018 was not only New Year’s Day, but day one of the new Montana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (MPDES) Construction General Permit, referred to as the CGP.

 

When is a CGP needed?

 

If both of the following two criteria are met:

 

1. There are areas of ground disturbance or other potential pollutant sources due to the construction activity where a storm water discharge to state surface water can occur.

2. The construction activity has a total area of ground disturbance through clearing, excavating, grading, or placement/removal of earth material which is equal to or greater than one acre

 

This new CGP is a big deal because there are some changes in both the paperwork and procedures.

 

PERMIT HIGHLIGHTS

 

-The form Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) is shorter, 10 pages versus 19 pages.

-Checklists are used to identify ‘potential pollutants’, ‘BMPs’, ‘major construction activity’, and ‘BMP phasing.’

-There are three choices on how to revise the SWPPP (revise SWPPP and site maps, use inspection reports and revise site maps, and updates in a log and revise site maps.

-Inspections can be delayed if severe winter conditions occur.

-Public signage is required beginning in 2021.

 

WHAT does the new CGP mean for construction projects that were started last year but not ready to be closed?

 

You need to submit a renewal.  A renewal consists of an NOI and SWPPP.  Additional fees are not needed AT THIS TIME.

 

WHO provides that service?

 

WET will gladly prepare renewal packages.  We have an interview form with all the required site information identified.

 

WHY can’t I take care of the renewal myself?

 

You can if you are a certified SWPPP Administrator and your certification is current.

 

WHERE can I get recertified?

 

WET will gladly help (are you sensing a pattern here?) WET is one of the ‘acknowledged training provider by the state of Montana’.  That means we provided a curriculum to the state, which was reviewed and approved for:

 

-BMP 201 SWPPP Preparer and Administrator Certification Program and

-BMP 201-R SWPPP Preparer and Administrator Recertification Program.

 

WHEN are trainings scheduled?

 

Our 2018 schedule will be announced soon.

 

Stay tuned!