Although you can't avoid the "knock on the door," you can avoid being unprepared. With the new Obama EPA, understanding inspections and what to expect is a step in the right direction.

Inspections are visits to your facility or site for the purpose of gathering information to determine whether you're in compliance. Inspections generally include preinspection activities such as obtaining general site information. Other activities that may be conducted during the on-site visit include:

• Interviewing your representatives,
• Reviewing records and reports,
• Taking photographs,
• Collecting samples, and
• Observing operations.

Inspections are usually conducted on a single-media program, such as the CWA, but can be conducted for more than one media program. Inspections also can be conducted to address a specific environmental problem (e.g., water quality in a river), an industry sector (e.g., chemical plants), or a geographic or ecosystem-based approach (e.g., air or watershed).

INFO: Contact BLR's Ana Ellington at 800-727-5257, ext. 2169.