I am urging the Board to continue licensure for Certified Professional Wetland Delineator in Virginia for a number of reasons:
Protection of Public Health, Safety, and Welfare
Distinguishable from other Occupations and State Assurances of Competency
Prior to requiring CWPD, delineations were being performed by unqualified individuals that were resulting in permitting issues and resulting in lawsuits against both the regulatory authorities and the consultants who performed the flawed work. Professional wetland delineators must possess skills and technical competencies in four separate wetland areas of technical expertise – botany, soil science, hydrology, and the Virginia tidal wetland definition. Additionally, knowledge of statewide and local regulations is a required and tested portion towards obtaining a CWPD. No national certification exists that requires competencies in all of those areas. There is a false equivalency assumption that the “national” PWS certification is equivalent and provides state assurances that the Virginia CWPD certification provides.
Protection for the Public from Improper Practice of Wetland Delineations
The work performed by a certified delineator ensures that the work is performed by a person with the proper qualifications, AND those certified delineators are bound to perform the work under stringent ethical and professional standards.”