Tim Ridley, Environmental Compliance Inspector, City of Riverside
With years of experience as an Environmental Compliance Inspector for Riverside, Tim Ridley understands that education is essential for environmental compliance. It helps build a knowledgeable, aware, and responsible community and workforce. Education goes beyond simply knowing the law by encouraging accountability and providing people with the skills to make informed, environmentally responsible choices.
“The most impactful part of our job is education. This is crucial in preventing spills before they happen. If a freak accident occurs, education can help ensure it doesn’t happen again,” he said. “That is always rewarding.”
Ridley has worked for the City of Riverside for over 14 years, initially in the recreation field. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from the University of California, Riverside, he continued working for the city until an opening became available as an Environmental Compliance Inspector (ECI) in 2019. He served as an ECI I and II, and last February was promoted to a Senior Environmental Compliance Inspector.
“Riverside has a really good training program,” he said. “Inspectors become familiar with codes and response plans quickly.”
In his ECI role, he assesses compliance for large industries, stormwater, FOG, restaurant inspections, and non-significant industrial users (such as car washes and industrial maintenance). He also investigates SSOs caused by grease overflows and chemical spills. Additionally, he collaborates with the Fire Department on code enforcement and with the County Hazardous Waste team on environmental health issues.
“One of the best parts about this job is that anytime we respond to a spill or address safety, we’re protecting either the environment or the public,” he said. “This is important work.”
Ridley became a CWEA member within 18 months of starting his first position as an ECI. He immediately worked to receive his ECI Certification.
“One benefit of working for the City of Riverside is that the city provides support for keeping certifications up-to-date,” he said.
Pretreatment, Pollution Prevention, & Stormwater (P3S) is an acronym used by organizations like CWEA to refer to the field of water quality and waste management. The P3S committee and associated conferences and activities focus on implementing and enforcing regulations, developing innovative solutions for pollution prevention, and ensuring consistent compliance with applicable permit requirements for facilities.
After attending a CWEA P3S Conference in Long Beach, Michael Placencia, who was also working for the City of Riverside at the time, encouraged Ridley to join the CWEA P3S Committee. Ridley attended the 2022 P3S Conference, during which he became more involved with the P3S Committee. Soon afterward, he was named secretary and later vice-chair of the committee. Currently, he serves as the chair of the committee.
In February, the P3S committee will host its 53rd annual P3S Conference, this time in Ridley’s hometown of Riverside. Ridley has been using his experience and connections in Riverside to develop an educational program that will include focus groups, soft skills for inspectors, an inspector academy, tools for the job, EPA updates, and more.
“We’ll be working with our City of Riverside partners, the City of Riverside Fire Department, and the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health, to showcase coordinated operations,” he said. “We’ll also offer a stormwater workshop.”
Ridley reminds those attending and watching the conference on OWEN that P3S workshops and tracks all provide contact hours.
This is the first time Riverside has hosted the conference in 10 years. The event will return to Northern California in 2027.
“The one thing I like about attending the conference is that you have the opportunity to meet new people in the industry,” he said. “Some may be from big agencies, others from small. Some bigger agency inspectors may be in charge of doing only inspections, while the smaller agency inspectors may be in charge of doing everything.”
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