III.3 Public Education and Participation

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III.3 Public Education and Participation
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Public Education and Participation

• Phase I regulations contain public education
  requirements for
• Illicit discharge elimination
• Construction site operators
• Pesticide, herbicide, and fertilizer application
• Phase II regulations contain two minimum control
  measures which require small MS4s to address
  public education and public participation

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Phase II Minimum Control Measures
Public Education and Participation

• Public Education and Outreach
• Distribute educational materials to the
  community, or
• Conduct equivalent outreach activities about the
  impacts of storm water discharges on water bodies
  and the steps that the public can take to reduce
  pollutants in storm water runoff
• Public Involvement /Participation
• Comply with State, Tribal and local public notice
  requirements

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EPAs Getting In Step Program

• Two documents developed
• A Guide for Conducting Watershed Outreach
  Campaigns
• Engaging and Involving Stakeholders in Your
  Watershed
• http//www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/outreach/documen
  ts/

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Auditing/Inspecting a Public Education/Participati
on Program

• An MS4s annual report or SWMP are likely to
  describe most public education and participation
  activities
• When reviewing annual report/SWMP, look for
• Does the MS4 document the distribution of
  materials (how many, to whom?) Are they just
  sitting at City Hall?
• Do the educational materials match the MS4s
  priorities? (e.g., if sediment/construction is
  the biggest issue, are materials geared toward
  that?)
• What is the frequency of distribution?

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Audit/Inspection Key Questions

• Does the public education address specific
  pollutants, behaviors, land uses, or watershed
  issues?
• What are the MS4s goals for public education?
  How are these measured?
• How has the MS4 modified its activities based on
  findings from other program areas (e.g.,
  targeting audiences, developing more specific
  outreach, etc.)?

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Common Program Components

• Public Education
• Public education strategy
• Message development
• Target audiences
• Public participation

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Public Education Strategy

• Ideally, MS4s should have a public education
  strategy that includes
• Goals and objectives
• Clear messages
• Defined target audience(s)
• Appropriate message packaging
• Effective distribution mechanisms

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Public Education Strategy

• Is the strategy formalized in a planning
  document?
• Does the MS4 regularly assess the effectiveness
  of the public education strategy?
• Are the goals based on the specific pollutants or
  behaviors of concern in the community?
• Does the MS4 enlist the aid/coordinate with other
  environmentally interested associations ?

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Public Education Strategy Goals

• Goals can be quantitative
• Numbers of classroom presentations per year
• Number of volunteers per event
• Goals can also be qualitative
• Increased stormwater awareness among residents
  that use English as a second language
• Greater awareness among school-aged kids
• Surveys of target audiences can be used to
  determine qualitative changes

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Message Development

• Are stormwater outreach messages clear, specific,
  and tied directly to elements that each audience
  values?
• Do messages encourage participation in
  stormwater-related activities?
• Do messages educate audiences about behavior
  changes that can improve stormwater quality?

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Target Audiences

• Does the MS4 have different messages for
  different target audiences (children, homeowners,
  industrial facility operators, etc.)?
• Are target audiences selected based on specific
  behaviors of concern, land use types, watershed
  concerns, etc.?
• Does the MS4 use broad stormwater messages that
  are aimed at improving general public awareness?

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Example
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Example Public Awareness Survey in North San
Diego County
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Example Honolulu Tracking Awareness
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Public Participation

• Is the MS4 providing the public with
  opportunities to
• Review and comment on SWMP updates and changes?
• Participate in stormwater-related activities
  organized or sponsored by the MS4, such as
• Storm drain stenciling?
• Stream clean-ups?

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Common Compliance Problems

• Inappropriate or immeasurable goals
• Not addressing key target audiences
• Not customizing materials for target audiences
• Not developing materials for commonly spoken
  foreign languages
• Not distributing materials appropriately for
  target audiences
• Not soliciting public feedback about program
  development, implementation, and improvement
• Not coordinating or promoting stormwater-related
  public involvement events or activities

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EPAs Nonpoint Source Digital Toolbox

• http//www.epa.gov/owow/nps/toolbox/
• Includes many examples of public outreach
  products for MS4s