Webinars Set for March 19, 26 as Follow-up to Regional Workshops
HARRISBURG – The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and partner, URS Corp. will host two, free webinars for municipal officials, staff and engineers.
Set for March 19 and March 26, they will provide educational, outreach and technical assistance to help communities meet National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permitting requirements. Webinars will also explore available financial opportunities to help communities pay for needed improvements to existing storm sewer systems.
The state-issued NPDES MS4 permits govern how communities handle and treat polluted stormwater run-off, which accounts for nearly 2,500 miles of impaired Pennsylvania rivers and streams. It is currently the third top pollution source to local waterways, and the only source that continues to increase.
“Polluted run-off is not just a clean water issue but a human health and economic one as well when we consider the property and personal damages caused by flooding events,” said Harry Campbell, CBF’s Pennsylvania executive director.
“Aging infrastructure in our older communities combined with the increase in newer developments with inadequate run-off controls have contributed significantly to the current problem.”
CBF recognized the need for a public education and awareness initiative to better assist and protect communities and to reduce the water quality impacts of polluted runoff. Thanks to a grant from the William Penn Foundation, CBF and URS hosted three workshops for officials in York, Dauphin, Cumberland, Lancaster and Franklin counties and are now expanding those efforts via webinar.
“Over 140 people attended the regional workshops held in January and February of this year,” said Ruth Hocker, P.E., and CBF’s Pennsylvania senior scientist. “The March webinars are an opportunity to share that information with a broader audience.”
You can contact Ruth Hocker for webinar details at 717-234-5550, ext. 4209. For more information about polluted stormwater run-off, CBF’s clean water programs and initiatives, and how the Clean Water Blueprint is working in our communities and downstream, check out www.cbf.org.
Webinar Details:
- March 19, at 12 p.m. – “MS4; Putting the Pieces Together” provides an overview of the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load and related MS4 permit requirements. The session will also assist municipal officials with ways to effectively engage the community through required public education and outreach programs. Click here to register.
- March 26, 2014 at 12 p.m. – “Estimating Pollutant Loads and Managing BMPs” provides an overview of water quality models and tools available to estimate baseline pollutant loads, general input data requirements for model development and the pros and cons associated with each model. Click here to register.