PCEW case studies
PCEW · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Professional Certified Environmental Worker (PCEW) is a multiple-choice credential aimed at practitioners who carry out day-to-day environmental compliance work: waste handlers, wastewater and stormwater operators, air monitoring technicians, remediation field staff, and the EHS coordinators who support them. It tests whether you can apply regulatory logic in the field, not whether you have memorized statute numbers. The exam is organized around eight domains, weighted roughly as follows: regulations, permits, and compliance reporting (20%); hazardous and non-hazardous waste (15%); water, wastewater, and stormwater (15%); air emissions and monitoring (12%); site assessment and remediation (12%); health, safety, and emergency response (12%); sampling, chain of custody, and data quality (8%); and professional ethics and recordkeeping integrity (6%). Expect scenario questions that ask what you would do next, what a reading means, or which record must be produced. The PCEW case studies are 5 cases and about 3,740 words.
1Title V Certification After an Omitted Monitor Outage
Northline Pharma operates a tablet-coating line under a Title V permit. The permit requires semiannual monitoring reports within 30 days after each six-month period and an annual compliance certification signed by the responsible official by March 31.
724 words, about 4 min2Generator Status After a Solvent Tank Cleanout
Calder Metal Finishing cleans paint guns with xylene and runs an on-site distillation still that reclaims about 60 gallons of xylene per month for reuse. The still bottoms-about 55 gallons per month-are drummed and shipped off site.
762 words, about 4 min3Construction Stormwater Expansion and Benchmark Exceedance
Ridgeline Contractors is building a 180,000-square-foot warehouse on a 12.8-acre parcel. The original Notice of Intent and SWPPP described 11.2 acres of earth disturbance.
757 words, about 4 min4Invalid Stack Test and Opacity Excursion at a Foundry
Ashford Foundry operates a cupola with a baghouse. Its Title V permit limits particulate matter to 0.05 gr/dscf and opacity to 20%.
740 words, about 4 min5Phase II Data Integrity Under Client Pressure
EcoLine Consulting is completing a Phase II ESA for a 4.2-acre former dry cleaner before sale. The lab reports tetrachloroethene (PCE) in groundwater at 82 µg/L in one monitoring well; the federal MCL is 5 µg/L.
757 words, about 4 min