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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
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POSITION DESCRIPTION FOR JOB POSTING |
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Position Number: 00144880 |
Description Activated On: 3/4/2026 11:30:18 AM |
Position Purpose: Describe the primary purpose of this position and how it contributes to the organization’s objectives. Example: Provides clerical and office support within the Division to ensure its operations are conducted efficiently and effectively. This position functions within the Conservation Restoration and Inspection (CRI) Section of the Southwest Region’s Waterways and Wetlands Program and reports to the Water Quality Specialist Supervisor. The assigned work area for this position is the entire 8-county Southwest Region. The Aquatic Biologist 2 is responsible for conducting independent investigations into the effects of sediment pollution and water obstruction/encroachments on waters of the commonwealth, which includes wetlands, investigating fish kills and monitoring the completion and success of stream and wetland mitigation required by permits and adequately responding to complaints and seeking resolution for violations of Chapter 105 Rules and Regulations, the Dam Safety and Encroachments Act, and the PA Clean Stream Law in accordance with established policies and procedures. |
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Description of Duties: Describe in detail the duties and responsibilities assigned to this position. Descriptions should include the major end result of the task. Example: Types correspondence, reports, and other various documents from handwritten drafts for review and signature of the supervisor. 1. Conducts complaint responses through site visits and investigations into alleged violations of the Dam Safety and Encroachments Act, The PA Clean Streams Law, and the Rules and Regulations thereunder. 2. Performs follow-up reviews and inspections as a result of water obstruction/encroachment related complaints, enforcement referrals or permit violations. 3. Inspects encroachments or obstructions in waterways or wetlands to determine if a permit is warranted or if permit conditions have been meet. 4. Implements the Waterways and Wetland’s complaint response, inspection and compliance program. 5. Documents observations made during inspections and investigations through the preparation of Water Obstruction and Encroachment Inspection Reports. 6. Conducts and/or coordinates field investigations, biological macroinvertebrate and fish surveys and ecological studies of aquatic habitat and surrounding environmental conditions to analyze their relation to the water quality, and overall health of aquatic environments. 7. Conducts follow-up inspections or investigations at permitted sites and at sites where stream and/or wetland restoration was required and provides a detailed written report on the condition of the site 8. Reviews stream and wetland restoration/mitigation monitoring reports required by permits or as a result of enforcement actions and follows up with correspondence and/or inspections as necessary. 9. Coordinates with Permits Section and Dam Safety, Waterways and Wetlands Section staff as necessary on matters relating to proper permitting or restoration plan review. 10. Identifies wetlands using the current Federal Manual for the Identification & Delineation of Jurisdictional Wetlands. 11. Prepares and sends letters to responsible parties concerning potential and actual violations of the Dam Safety and Encroachments Act, The PA Clean Streams Law, and/or the Rules and Regulations thereunder. 12. Provides technical expertise and direction to responsible parties in order to obtain voluntary compliance for documented violations of the applicable Act(s) and Rules and Regulations. 13. Makes recommendations to the Compliance Specialist and management concerning violations and uses established enforcement referral procedures. 14. Serves as technical environmental expert at administrative enforcement conferences scheduled by Compliance Specialist. 15. Serves as a witness to provide expert testimony before District Magistrate, Environmental Hearing Board, and the courts. 16. Assists the permit section in conducting environmental reviews of water obstruction and encroachment permit applications, as needed, especially for enforcement related cases. Creates a written record of decision to document the environmental review findings and recommendations for permit decisions. Documentation is based upon interpretation, assessments and analysis of data, field documentation, reference sources and comments from other resource agencies. 17. Consults and coordinates with local, state and federal agencies regarding environmental evaluations and reviews. 18. Cooperates and coordinates with County Conservation Districts, the PA Fish and Boat Commission, the US Army Corps of Engineers, the US Environmental Protection Agency, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and other agency staff as necessary to identified and resolve violations of the applicable Act and Rules and Regulations. 19. Represents the Department in meetings with the public, municipal and corporate officials, site operators, consultants, and engineers, during which problems are discussed and a plan of action recommended. 20. Conducts training for Department and conservation district agency staff regarding wetland field investigations of soil characteristics, hydrology, and vegetation to determine if site activities are consistent with or in violation of the applicable Act and Rules and Regulations. 21. Provides assistance to the Chapter 105 delegated conservation district staff in complaint response, inspections, and documentation of water obstruction and encroachment violations. 22. Develops and conducts Chapter 105 complaint investigation training for less experienced Department and County Conservation District Staff. 23. Serves as program expert in the identification of wetlands and hydrophytes. 24. Responds verbally or in writing to general inquiries from the public, local governments and legislators regarding waters of the Commonwealth and Chapter 105 Rules and Regulations. 25. Enters necessary data into Departmental tracking systems in a timely manner to accurately reflect work performed during specified time periods. 26. Adheres to Department agricultural biosecurity procedures 27. Maintains, uses, and operates assigned equipment as applicable. 28. Adhere to Department teleworking policies and utilize appropriate technology while working remotely (i.e., Virtual Private Network, email, phone, etc.) 29. Follows appropriate records management procedures including digitization and utilization of the OnBase system for storage of Program records. 30. Utilizes GIS applications to generate GIS-related output such as maps, charts, graphics, websites and other visualizations for customers involved in aquatic biology and vector control. 31. Promotes the Department's mission. 32. Inputs appropriate data in a prescribed format to meet data quality standards set forth by guidance, training, and policy across all of the DEP’s electronic data systems; to include ensuring accuracy and completeness of entries, and where available, the use of system specific tools to ensure duplicative entries and data quality issues are minimized. This position description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by their supervisor. |
Decision Making: Describe the types of decisions made by the incumbent of this position and the types of decisions referred to others. Identify the problems or issues that can be resolved at the level of this position, versus those that must be referred to the supervisor. Example: In response to a customer inquiry, this work involves researching the status of an activity and preparing a formal response for the supervisor’s signature. Work is received in the form of general guidelines from the Water Quality Specialist Supervisor and is performed with considerable independence of action and latitude of judgment. The employee is responsible for establishing completion schedules, priorities and final resolutions within established program guidelines. Regional program management, program staff in Harrisburg, and other staff in the Region may be consulted whenever major issues or very complex technical questions are raised. Work is reviewed upon completion by the Water Quality Specialist Supervisor for completeness, technical accuracy and quality. |
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Requirements Profile: Identify any specific experience or requirements, such as a licensure, registration, or certification, which may be necessary to perform the functions of the position. Position-specific requirements should be consistent with a Special Requirement or other criteria identified in the classification specification covering this position. Example: Experience using Java; Professional Engineer License Experience: Licenses, registrations, or certifications: 1. Class C Driver's License 2. N/A 3. N/A 4. 5. 6. |
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Essential Functions: Provide a list of essential functions for this position. Example: Transports boxes weighing up to 60 pounds.
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