Luke Owen (NPDES Training Institute)
Luke will be speaking Wednesday, March 6, 2024 and he will be hosting NPDES training Thursday, March 7, 2024.
Luke grew up in Colorado and currently resides in Georgia, a state plagued by centuries of erosion, stormwater mismanagement, and point source pollution. In the 1970s, during his service as a United States Marine overseas, Luke witnessed the severe and occasionally fatal health consequences endured by individuals compelled to consume untreated water contaminated by industrial and sewage pollutants. After his honorable discharge as a Sergeant, Luke pursued higher education at Colorado Mesa University, where he graduated with honors, earning a degree in Geology in 1985.
Luke’s passion for the outdoors coupled with the experience gained throughout his over 30-year career in stormwater, wastewater, and groundwater environmental consulting was the driving force behind his launching the NPDES Stormwater Training Institute in 2005, a company that has educated thousands of stormwater treatment system professionals in both the private and public sectors across the country.
As a registered professional Geologist in California and Georgia, Luke is often invited to be a keynote and/or workshop training provider at stormwater conferences across the nation. He serves on the National Environmental Steering Committee for the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) as a stormwater consultant and provides consulting services as well as expert testimony services in stormwater-related lawsuits.
In 2013, the NPDES Stormwater Training Institute launched one of the country’s most recognized stormwater courses, the MS4 Compliance & Enforcement Certified Inspector (MS4CECI) course, and annually trains thousands of people in Georgia’s erosion and sediment control certification program. Luke is an active member of the International Erosion Control Association (IECA), Southeast Stormwater Association, Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP), Trout Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited, and the American Sports Fishing Association.
