About NPDES Stormwater Training Institute
Clean water is not protected by paperwork. It is protected by people who do the right work before the rain starts.
The NPDES Stormwater Training Institute was founded by Luke Owen, a stormwater professional who has spent decades working directly with MS4 programs, construction sites, regulators, and permittees across the United States. This training was built from firsthand field experience, not theory and not a classroom alone.
Luke’s career has centered on one truth: stormwater compliance only works when people
effectively design, review, install, and maintain, the proven measures before and during stormwater ever begins to move.
Experience that shapes our training
Luke and his staff have stormwater experience that spans some of the most challenging conditions in the country. From dry, arid environments in the southwest, to mountain states in the Rockies, to the central states in the midwest, he has seen how climate, terrain, and development patterns directly affect stormwater performance.
In the Southeast United States, high annual rainfall, intense storm events, erodible soils, and rapid land disturbance make preparation critical and mistakes costly. This broad experience shapes how every course is taught. Luke’s believes that water quality is directly related to the effectiveness of the training he provides. Without people caring enough to design, install and maintain a Best Management Practice, whether it’s the MS4, industrial facility or construction site, our surface water quality has no chance of being maintained or improved.
What we do
We specialize in stormwater education and training for MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) managers and field inspectors, as well as construction erosion and sediment control professionals, including:
- SWPPP Design Professionals
- SWPPP Plan Reviewers
- NPDES Permittees
- State and local inspectors and regulators
Our MS4 training is grounded in practical, first-hand experience implementing and enforcing the Six Minimum Control Measures. While construction site runoff control is the fourth minimum measure and a major focus of our instruction, it is not the only one.
We train MS4s on all six measures, including:
- Public education and outreach
- Public involvement and participation
- Illicit discharge detection and elimination (IDDE)
- Construction site runoff control
- Post-construction stormwater management
- Pollution prevention and good housekeeping for municipal operations
Our instruction emphasizes how these measures work together, and how failures in one area often show up as problems in another.
Why it matters
Sediment basins, traps, and perimeter controls are important tools, but they are not substitutes for preparation. When erosion and sediment control systems or MS4 programs are treated as an afterthought, downstream waters pay the price.
Luke believes the most important BMP on any site or within any MS4 program is a trained professional who understands what must be in place before stormwater begins to move. That belief is the foundation of every class we teach.
Founded in Georgia and serving nationally, we are committed to delivering practical, current, and effective stormwater training that protects watersheds while supporting responsible development.
Keeping Water in Your Life, and Life in Your Water®
