Water Quality Permit Scientist – Coal
The Department of Environmental Quality is looking for a Water Quality Permitting Scientist with a specialization in coal mining to join their team in the Water Protection Bureau of the Water Quality Division.
Water Quality Permitting Scientists are responsible for performing scientific and technical analyses, calculations, assessments, and determinations essential to the implementation of water quality programs in the State of Montana.
When a municipality, industry, or other entity wishes to discharge water to a surface water of the state, that entity must first obtain a permit from DEQ. Montana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (MPDES) permits regulate wastewater discharges by limiting the quantities of pollutants to be discharged. The limits and/or requirements in the permit help ensure compliance with Montana’s Water Quality Standards, and State and Federal Regulations, all of which were written to protect public health and the aquatic environment.
There are two types of MPDES permits: Individual and General. DEQ develops the limits and requirements for an Individual Permit based on a facility’s operations, type and amount of discharge, and the nature of the receiving stream, among other factors.
The coal specialist Water Quality Permitting Scientist is responsible for writing individual permits for Western Alkaline Coal mining facilities in Montana as well as other individual and general permit writing and administration duties, as needed. A successful candidate for this position will have an interest in and experience with environmental law, especially a strong understanding of the Clean Water Act, Montana Water Quality Act, and mining regulations.