Jacob Lubarsky to Moderate Panel on QISP Liability at CASQA 2025, Jon-Erik Magnus to Serve as Panelist

The Clean Water Act (CWA) authorizes private citizens and environmental groups to enforce water quality standards through citizen suits—an enforcement mechanism increasingly focused on stormwater discharges regulated under California’s Industrial General Permit (IGP). At the center of many of these claims is the role of the Qualified Industrial Stormwater Practitioner (QISP).

Rogers Joseph O’Donnell P.C. shareholder E. Jacob Lubarsky will moderate a panel on Sept. 17 at the upcoming California Stormwater Quality Association (CASQA) annual conference on the role of the QISP and citizen suits. Shareholder Jon-Erik W. Magnus will serve as a panelist, along with Andy Ellsmore, Principal Geologist with Ellsmore Environmental, Inc. and Tim Simpson, Vice President and Principal Engineer at GSI Environmental.

The interactive session, “QISP Liability and Citizen Suits: Understanding Risk, Responsibility, and Resilience in Stormwater Compliance,” will examine the legal and professional risks that QISPs, engineers and other consultants face when developing and implementing Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans. From navigating citizen suits under the Clean Water Act to understanding how courts assess professional liability, attendees will gain a clear view of what’s at stake and how to protect themselves. Panelists will also analyze real-world scenarios and offer practical strategies for minimizing risk, strengthening compliance and driving better environmental outcomes. 

Lubarsky is a member of RJO’s Environmental Law Practice Group. He is a seasoned attorney focusing on regulatory compliance, environmental due diligence and environmental law. He has extensive experience in all facets of environmental matters and represents clients in cases arising under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Endangered Species Act, Washington’s Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA), California’s Proposition 65 and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Magnus represents a wide variety of clients, from Fortune 500 companies to small family businesses, in all aspects of environmental and regulatory matters throughout California and Washington state. This work includes litigation, agency negotiations and administrative proceedings. He frequently assists clients in navigating directives and orders issued by California’s Regional Water Quality Boards and other local agencies and, when necessary, pursues challenges with the California State Water Resources Control Board.

Both Lubarsky and Magnus regularly advise and defend clients in connection with stormwater compliance issues and related CWA citizen suits.

For more information on the CASQA annual conference, which is taking place September 14-17 in Pasadena, California, please visit the event’s website.