Stormwater Resource Library

Stormwater runoff is a primary source of pollutants to Vermont’s surface waters. A critical way to reduce and clean stormwater runoff is through education of individuals, businesses and communities. The goal is for these audiences to understand actions they can take to minimize the amount of water running off their land following rain storms or during snowmelt, and, in some cases, what they can do to treat that water on site, so what does runoff is cleaner than if just allowed to flow across impervious surfaces. 

Numerous organizations in Vermont and the Lake Champlain Basin have developed resources and tools, including site assessments, to share this type of information with a broad suite of audiences. This Stormwater Education and Outreach Database has been developed as a way to share information about many of these resources and tools, helping others engaged in stormwater outreach to save time, build consistency in methods, and result in greater adoption of practices that will help minimize and treat stormwater runoff. 

Browse Stormwater Education and Outreach Tools and Materials

Raise the Blade

OWNER: Lake Champlain Basin Program & Partners
CONTACT: Colleen Hickey
INFORMATIONAL CONTENT: Minimizing stormwater pollutants (i.e. pet waste, car washing, lawn fertilizers, snow removal practices, raising the blade etc.)

Educational and outreach materials to encourage better lawn mowing practice by mowing grass no shorter than 3 inches.

Rethink Runoff website

PUBLISHED: 2019
OWNER: CCRPC/Chittenden County MS4’s
CONTACT: Dan Albrecht, [email protected]
SELF-REPORTED EFFECTIVENESS: Primary metric is number of visitors to website, www.rethinkrunoff.org which has increased every year since inception.
INFORMATIONAL CONTENT: Minimizing stormwater pollutants (i.e. pet waste, car washing, lawn fertilizers, snow removal practices, raising the blade etc.)

Website to help the public to learn about stormwater. Formed as a regional program to meet Minimum Control Measure #1 (Public Education & Outreach) requirement for twelve MS-4 permitees in Chittenden County (9 municipalities plus UVM, VTRANS and BTV Airport)

Sample Social Media Posts

PUBLISHED: 2019
OWNER: NRPC
CONTACT: Amanda Holland, [email protected]
INFORMATIONAL CONTENT: Minimizing stormwater pollutants (i.e. pet waste, car washing, lawn fertilizers, snow removal practices, raising the blade etc.)

A sample of seasonal campaign messaging used for social media.

Soak it for Schools

PUBLISHED: 2015
OWNER: WNRCD
SELF-REPORTED EFFECTIVENESS: Not monitoring use by teachers, outreach efforts have stalled since 2016
INFORMATIONAL CONTENT: Stormwater science, stressors, and water quality impacts

Collection of educational activities/lessons aggregated into themed folders with an accompanying overview document that explains to teachers how to use the materials and how to select activities

Soak Up the Rain-EPA, Resource Index

PUBLISHED: 2019
OWNER: EPA
INFORMATIONAL CONTENT: Minimizing stormwater flow and increasing flood retention (i.e. raingardens, barrels, check dams, bioretention, etc.)

EPA Resource Index of various stormwater and water quality projects by category.

Soak Up the Rain-EPA, Sharing Stories

PUBLISHED: 2019
OWNER: EPA
INFORMATIONAL CONTENT: Minimizing stormwater flow and increasing flood retention (i.e. raingardens, barrels, check dams, bioretention, etc.)

EPA Resource of projects and programs with a public outreach campaign to raise awareness about the problem of polluted stormwater runoff and to encourage citizens, municipalities, and others to take action

Soak Up the Rain-New Hampshire

PUBLISHED: 2019
OWNER: New Hampshire
INFORMATIONAL CONTENT: Minimizing stormwater flow and increasing flood retention (i.e. raingardens, barrels, check dams, bioretention, etc.)

Soak Up the Rain (SOAK) New Hampshire is a voluntary program managed by the N.H. Dept. of Environmental Services. SOAK provides information about how our homes create stormwater pollution and how to prevent it with rain gardens, infiltration trenches, and other practices.

Storm Smart Assessment

PUBLISHED: 2018
OWNER: Watershed Consulting Associates
CONTACT: Andres Torizzo, [email protected]
INFORMATIONAL CONTENT: Minimizing stormwater flow and increasing flood retention (i.e. raingardens, barrels, check dams, bioretention, etc.)

Breaks down landowners stormwater needs into easy yes/no questions accompanied by booklet that provides BMP advise. Needs to be purchaed as an app via Fulcrum

Storm Smart Homesite Assessment

PUBLISHED: 2019
OWNER: Friends of the Mad River
CONTACT: Corrie Miller, Executive Director, [email protected]
INFORMATIONAL CONTENT: Minimizing stormwater flow and increasing flood retention (i.e. raingardens, barrels, check dams, bioretention, etc.)

Mobile application used by staff person to engage homeowner in property assessment and collect information to be used for "Prescription" of stormwater GSI/BMP solutions

Storm Smart Private Drives Assessment

PUBLISHED: 2019
OWNER: Friends of the Mad River
CONTACT: Corrie Miller, Executive Director, [email protected]
INFORMATIONAL CONTENT: Minimizing stormwater flow and increasing flood retention (i.e. raingardens, barrels, check dams, bioretention, etc.)

Mobile application used by staff person to engage shared private road owners in road assessment and provide engineering solutions for erosion/runoff GSI/BMP solutions

 

 

Lake Champlain Sea Grant and UVM Extension
Funding for this database provided by Lake Champlain Sea Grant and UVM Extension.