Research Project Description
Urban Waters Program & Green Infrastructure
Internship Program Opportunity
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, DC
EPA Water 2013-267
Project Description:
A postgraduate internship project is available at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of
Water. This internship will be located with the Immediate Office, Urban Waters Program.
The Urban Waters Program seeks to support communities – especially underserved communities – in
restoring the water quality of their urban waters. This program supports efforts that provide opportunities
for communities to have equitable access to and benefit from their urban waters and the surrounding land.
Introduction of vegetated, distributed practices within urban environments creates new planning, design,
operation, and maintenance requirements for public utilities. The local jobs that may result from the
introduction of green infrastructure will likely require increased coordination between municipal departments
and collaboration with outside stakeholders. With this project, the intern will be trained on evaluating the
economic impacts of green infrastructure use in urban communities. Activities may include:

Identifying and reporting new strategies for green infrastructure planning, design, and
operation and management approaches

Assessing and quantifying potential benefits of green infrastructure in relation to gray
infrastructure including potential infrastructure cost savings, which is critical for communities
assessing infrastructure investments.
Through this internship, the selected individual will have the following educational opportunities:

Learning how green infrastructure use to manage stormwater can result in restoring the water
quality of urban watersheds, and other multiple environmental benefits, leading to more
sustainable communities.

Learning how science informs the implementation of the Clean Water Act, including familiarity
with processes and procedures used to implement national water regulatory programs (e.g.,
Total Maximum Daily Loads, Water Quality Standards, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System permits).

Gaining technical knowledge in water pollution regulations, water quality monitoring, and
stormwater management.
Through this internship, the intern will gain excellent exposure to a broad range of environmental policy
issues related to urban water quality, with a special focus on stormwater management. S/he will participate
in the various components of EPA's water quality programs; observe how they work together to support
EPA's water quality goals; and learn how EPA informs and engages with its broad range of stakeholders. The
intern will also gain a better understanding of how EPA implements a variety of programs to protect, restore,
and improve the water quality of urban watersheds.
Qualifications:
The applicant should have received a bachelor’s or master’s degree in chemistry, geology, biology,
environmental sciences, engineering, or a closely related discipline within five years of the desired starting
date, or completion of all requirements for the degree should be expected prior to the starting date.
Students currently enrolled in a U.S. college or university who are pursuing a graduate degree are also
eligible to apply. Proof or enrollment will be required each semester. Knowledge or practical experience
regarding the Clean Water Act is highly desirable.
The appointment will be full-time for a one-year and may be renewed for up to three additional years upon
recommendation of EPA and subject to availability of funds. Coverage under a medical insurance plan is both
required and the responsibility of the applicant; coverage may be obtained through ORISE, if desired. The
participant does not become an EPA employee.
The program is open to all qualified individuals without regard to race, sex, religion, color, age, physical or
mental disability, national origin, or status as a Vietnam era or disabled veteran. U.S. citizenship or lawful
permanent resident status is preferred (but can also hold an appropriate visa status, however, an H1B visa
is not appropriate).
Technical Questions:
The EPA contact person for this project is Ji-Sun (Sun) Yi, who may be emailed at yi.ji-sun@epa.gov.
How to Apply:
The Internship Program for EPA Water is administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
(ORISE). Please reference Project # EPA Water 2013-267 when calling or writing for
information. For additional information and application material contact: Internship Program EPA Water, Attn: Gina Wampler - MS 36, ORISE, P.O. Box 117, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831
Phone: (865) 241-6467 Fax: (865) 241-5219 email: gina.wampler@orau.org.
An application can be found athttp://www.orau.gov/partform/EPA/EPA_Application.pdf.