Improving Compliance: Updates to the 2026 TN Construction General Permit
The Construction General Permit (CGP) is an important tool for maintaining and improving water quality during land development. In this presentation, you will hear from Karina Bynum and Ariel Wessel-Fuss with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation about the CGP, including recent updates for 2026.
The presentation will provide a practical overview of Tennessee’s 2026 Construction General Permit for engineers, contractors, stormwater program coordinators, and site inspectors. It will cover how the new permit affects site design, Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) development, construction-phase stormwater controls, inspection practices, and documentation from site design to project closeout.
About the speakers:
Karina Bynum works for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation in the Division of Water Resources. Karina has 20 years of regulatory experience and currently serves as the environmental fellow for water quality and watershed restoration. Karina leads nutrient reduction initiatives for the Division and provides technical consultations for several regulatory programs. Her work includes developing nutrient reduction strategies, oversight of optimization of wastewater operations for nutrient removal, developing performance criteria for stormwater, developing monitoring plans, and consulting on watershed restoration and planning. Karina holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil and environmental engineering from Tennessee Technological University and a Ph.D. in landscape engineering from the Czech Technical University in Prague. Karina is a registered engineer in the State of Tennessee.
Ariel Wessel-Fuss is an Environmental Consultant III with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), Division of Water Resources. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Christian Brothers University in Memphis in 2003. Ariel began her career as a manufacturing and project engineer in the automotive industry before joining TDEC’s Pretreatment Program in 2010. Since transitioning to the Division’s Water Quality Permits Section in 2015, she has specialized in NPDES permitting, reviewing permit applications and permit actions to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations. In addition to her permitting responsibilities, Ariel has served as the Division lead for developing the NPDES forms such as the Overflow & Release and MS4 forms within the MyTDEC Forms online portal and played a key role in the Division’s 2022 NPDES and MS4 rulemaking efforts. Her work combines technical expertise, regulatory knowledge, and process improvement to support effective water quality management across Tennessee.
This presentation is part of the Cumberland River Compact’s professional education training series supported by the stormwater departments of Gallatin, Hendersonville, Goodlettsville, and Sumner County. This series promotes best practices and innovative approaches in stormwater. The presentation is ideal for contractors, developers, stormwater professionals, and engineers. Professional development hour (PDH) certificates are available for all attendees.
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