WEBVTT 00:00:02.430 --> 00:00:06.660 >> Charlotte Sharon: My name is Charlotte Sharon, and I'm an Environmental Scientist 00:00:06.660 --> 00:00:11.100 at a small environmental consulting firm. 00:00:11.100 --> 00:00:16.700 So, the majority of what I do is involving the water quality monitoring that we do 00:00:16.700 --> 00:00:24.250 for developers, primarily in Montgomery County, so they have certain requirements they have 00:00:24.250 --> 00:00:28.350 to follow during construction and after construction. 00:00:28.350 --> 00:00:33.040 My day is pretty much different every day I come to work, which I really enjoy that. 00:00:33.040 --> 00:00:37.100 [Background Noise]This is the flow meter this is flow rod. 00:00:37.100 --> 00:00:43.610 When we get down there, I will hook them up, and the flow rod goes into the stream, 00:00:43.610 --> 00:00:49.050 and the flow meter gives you the velocity of the water as it's coming through. 00:00:49.050 --> 00:00:52.520 Prior to construction on these sites, we install ground water wells, 00:00:52.520 --> 00:00:55.580 and we have to go out check the level every month. 00:00:55.580 --> 00:01:02.130 We have two [inaudible] flow readings which in certain streams on the site which sort 00:01:02.130 --> 00:01:08.180 of helps us gauge how much water is coming through the streams which can increase 00:01:08.180 --> 00:01:12.120 which can increase when there is an increase in impervious surface and that sort of thing. 00:01:12.120 --> 00:01:21.050 We do storm sampling, so during rain events, we will gather water samples at various BMPs 00:01:21.050 --> 00:01:27.880 which are best management practices, and during construction those are like sediment traps. 00:01:27.880 --> 00:01:33.020 You know, as they are grading the land, there's a lot of dirt being moved around basically, 00:01:33.020 --> 00:01:38.280 and during rain events, that can be washed into waterways, so they put these sediment basins 00:01:38.280 --> 00:01:42.010 on there that are supposed to capture the majority of the run off and sediment 00:01:42.010 --> 00:01:47.470 and let the sediment sort of filter out before the water is discharge into the stream. 00:01:47.470 --> 00:01:53.700 So, we have to capture the amount of water coming in and what's going out, 00:01:53.700 --> 00:02:00.700 and then we sample that for sediment, and in post construction, we also sample for pollutants 00:02:00.700 --> 00:02:05.280 and nutrients, so heavy metals and things like that. 00:02:06.420 --> 00:02:08.180 [Background Noise] So, this is a ground water well 00:02:08.180 --> 00:02:11.000 and basically it measures the level of a the ground water. 00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:17.840 We are right by a stream, so theoretically the ground water here should be higher 00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:20.540 than at other places. 00:02:20.540 --> 00:02:25.750 This is a well reader, so basically, it makes [beep] that noise when it hits water. 00:02:25.750 --> 00:02:29.140 So, you just drop it down in the well. 00:02:29.140 --> 00:02:37.760 When it beeps, we measure where the well casing is on I really enjoy being outside, 00:02:37.760 --> 00:02:43.750 and I like that when I come to work I could be doing any number of different things 00:02:43.750 --> 00:02:48.050 on any given day, and it's not the same thing over and over again. 00:02:48.050 --> 00:02:54.160 This is the first job that I have ever had that is not either very monotonous or is not 00:02:54.160 --> 00:02:57.510 in the office every day so, that's definitely my favorite thing. 00:02:57.510 --> 00:03:04.060 [ Beep ] 00:03:04.060 --> 00:03:12.570 So, our well reading today is at 5.7. 00:03:12.570 --> 00:03:16.240 Top of the well to water is 5.7 feet. 00:03:16.240 --> 00:03:25.310 Back in the office, we have an Excel Spreadsheet that we created that tells us the actual height 00:03:25.310 --> 00:03:31.620 of the ground at this point, so we can tell where the water is 00:03:31.620 --> 00:03:34.090 in relation to the height of the ground. 00:03:34.090 --> 00:03:39.540 I think for me, I have a Masters in Marine and Estuarine Environmental Science. 00:03:39.540 --> 00:03:44.140 The thesis work that I did for that was sort of more economics based 00:03:44.140 --> 00:03:46.610 because that's what my undergrad was in. 00:03:46.610 --> 00:03:51.130 So coming into this job, I actually didn't have a lot of experience with permit applications 00:03:51.130 --> 00:03:56.820 and regulatory end of things, and it's not exactly a challenge, 00:03:56.820 --> 00:03:58.940 but it's certainly a learning experience. 00:03:58.940 --> 00:04:02.620 Like, I wasn't familiar with doing all of the things that I am now responsible for doing 00:04:02.620 --> 00:04:07.180 when I first took this job, so there was a learning curve, but I really, really enjoy it, 00:04:07.180 --> 00:04:11.450 and I am learning a lot of useful information so. 00:04:11.450 --> 00:04:22.020 I think if you're dead set on getting into the environmental field, 00:04:22.020 --> 00:04:27.560 I think doing a science undergrad degree in either environmental science, or biology, 00:04:27.560 --> 00:04:31.570 or chemistry, or something like that would certainly help. 00:04:31.570 --> 00:04:41.020 The other big thing that this job I think requires or is useful to have is the knowledge 00:04:41.020 --> 00:04:48.360 of regulation, environmental regulation in the government and [pause] So, 00:04:48.360 --> 00:04:52.490 I went to St. Mary's College of Maryland in St. Mary's City, southern Maryland, 00:04:52.490 --> 00:05:00.040 and I actually majored in English and economics so I did not have any science background. 00:05:00.040 --> 00:05:05.960 I really enjoyed environmental literature, which I sort of did an environmental studies focus 00:05:05.960 --> 00:05:09.170 or concentration is what they called it at St. Mary's 00:05:09.170 --> 00:05:17.400 but did not require any hard science courses, so I graduated and I travelled, you know, 00:05:17.400 --> 00:05:24.340 I just sort of took a mediocre job as a government contractor, saved up some money 00:05:24.340 --> 00:05:29.520 and did some traveling and decided I really wanted to go 00:05:29.520 --> 00:05:31.630 into the environmental science field. 00:05:31.630 --> 00:05:39.280 So, I had to take a lot of post baccalaureate classes basically so, like, 00:05:39.280 --> 00:05:43.960 undergrad courses that were requirements for the masters program I wanted to do. 00:05:43.960 --> 00:05:50.680 So, I did that part time and worked for, like, two years to get the requirements I need 00:05:50.680 --> 00:05:53.780 to do the masters programs, and then that was another two years. 00:05:53.780 --> 00:06:00.030 [pause] I think that most people that come into this field do it 00:06:00.030 --> 00:06:03.000 because they have a passion for that. 00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:06.440 I know that is certainly where I came from. 00:06:06.440 --> 00:06:10.730 You know, I didn't have the degree that I needed to do it. 00:06:10.730 --> 00:06:13.670 I didn't have the requirements I needed to do the masters. 00:06:13.670 --> 00:06:18.050 I had a lot of work ahead of me when I started on this path, 00:06:18.050 --> 00:06:23.170 but I knew it was something I really, really wanted to do, so I would encourage anybody 00:06:23.170 --> 00:06:24.980 who feels strongly about the environment, 00:06:24.980 --> 00:06:28.970 who is passionate about making a difference to not let anything stop you.