Outreach at local elementary schools is an effective tool to educate the public about the types and sources of pollutants in stormwater in compliance with MS4 permit requirements.
Texas elementary school students learn about uncommon sources of water pollution and prevention. By Justin Murray, P.E. MS4 lessons
Cities’ efforts to educate the public takes many forms, including pam- phlets in water bills and articles in newspapers and magazines. How- ever, one of the more effective tools is outreach at local elementary schools. Conveniently, third and fourth grade students in Texas begin studying the water cycle in the spring every year. The water cycle de- scribes the natural process by which water is evaporated or transpirated (water vapor emitted by plant material) into the environment. You may recall learning as a young student that the beginning of the circle is with evaporation through condensation or rain, then runoff, and ultimately into the oceans where the process begins again. The focus of cities’ education is on the runoff portion of the cycle and the pollutants that are transported away from a city by this process. While the focus — runoff — is only one piece, the need for responsibility is underscored by the children’s understanding that the process is a circle, which means pollution is not a problem that goes away.
The cities of Cibolo and Schertz, Texas, like many suburban cities, are required to obtain a stormwater permit from the state. The permit, called a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit, re- quires cities to limit discharges of harmful pollutants through a variety of techniques. One of those techniques is educating the public about the types and sources of pollutants. Many are unaware of the various seemingly harmless sources of pollution. That awareness is a critical part of the solution to limiting pollutant discharges.
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july 2018
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