Colorado Soil and Site Evaluation Course

This course is designed to meet the requirements of the Section 43.5.I.2.b of Regulation #43 for a Competent Technician.  Passing the course examination will demonstrate competency in the visual and tactile evaluation of soil.  Certificates of Competency will be provided to participants that pass this exam.

Below is the description of the course as it has been presented in the past. Changes to the schedule for our upcoming 2022 courses are likely.

Day one of the course is primarily classroom instruction on the items noted below, along with a “hands-on” exercise where participants hand texture pre-determined samples of all soil types.  Day 2 includes a field component, where participants will learn to apply the site evaluation principles learned from day one.

Day one includes:

1. Basic Principles of On-Site Wastewater Treatment (OWTS) siting and design
2. Regulation specific requirements for conducting preliminary and field site investigations with “real world” examples
3. Basic geology and soil formation processes
4. Percolation test methods
5. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) soils classification system
6. Relationship between soil types and movement & treatment of effluent
7. Basics of how to identify limiting layers and high rock content (Type R soils)
8. Hands-on soil texturing

Day two includes:

1. Preview of field site
2. Site visit and test pit evaluation
3. Re-cap of site visit
4. Review and Q&A
5. Exam

Upon successful completion of the course, you will gain competency in the following activities:

• Principles of OWTS siting and design
• Identification of:
  • soil types by hand texturing and observation
  • Soil structure
  • Limiting layers
• Determining the most promising location for the soil treatment area infiltrative surface

Certificates of Competency will be provided to participants that pass this exam.

Course Instructors:

Warren Brown, P.E.
Public Health Engineer
Tri County Health Department

Roy Laws, P.E.
Jefferson County Public Health
Environmental Health Services Division

Registrer online HERE or email Lisa Nicoll at cpow@cpow.net and include the registrant(s) name, any applicable Company name, mailing address, email and phone number.

You must have a current 2022 CPOW membership to receive member pricing.