1. Local Solutions to Local Problems: A Stormwater Education Collaborative
TCS 22: The Coastal Society’s 22nd International Conference
June 16, 2010, Wilmington, North Carolina
Karen Fuss, Coordinator of CWSEC
Center for Marine & Wetland Studies at Coastal Carolina University, Conway, South Carolina

2. Goal
Develop and implement effective, outcomes-based stormwater education and outreach programs to meet federal requirements and satisfy local environmental and economic needs.

3. Participating Communities
These municipalities encompass over 2,000 square miles of land with
approximately 300,000 residents.

4. Education Providers
Coastal Carolina University’s Waccamaw Watershed Academy
North Inlet-Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Coastal Training and Public Education Program
Clemson University’s Carolina Clear Program
SC Sea Grant Extension Program
Waccamaw Riverkeeper®
Murrells Inlet 2020

5. Communication is the Key!
Liaison with SCDHEC
Biannual meetings
Monthly E-News
Website:
Database for MS4 reporting
Annual Report
Programming has changed since ’05
As the group has grown and also dynamic (new staff, etc.) – we’ve had to work very hard with communicating to all MS4 members especially when only meeting twice per year
E-news monthly communication with “clients”

6. MCM 1: Education & Outreach THEN (‘05 –’08)
Brochures
Festival Booths
General Presentations and Workshops

7. MCM 1: Education & Outreach NOW (‘09 – Present)
Topic-Specific Workshops – Stormwater on Wheels
LID tour
Living wall at resort; pervious concrete parking lot and pavers
Floating wetlands
Infiltration & underground storage on beachfront road in campground

8. MCM 1: Education & Outreach NOW (‘09 – Present)
Audience-Specific Workshops – Property Managers, K-12 and University Students

9. MCM 1: Education & Outreach NOW (‘09 – Present)
Mass Outreach & Education – TV, Radio, Billboard, Website and Database

10. MCM 2: Public Involvement & Participation THEN (‘05 –’08)
Began Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring
Support Citizen Advisory Boards
Limited Community Clean-Ups

11. MCM 2: Public Involvement & Participation NOW (‘09 – Present)
Storm Drain Marking

12. MCM 2: Public Involvement & Participation NOW (‘09 – Present)
Rain Garden Installations
Partnership between CWSC, local stormwater depts., schools & Wal-Mart
9 gardens at regional schools from funds from Wal-Mart
bog garden (community-driven

13. MCM 2: Public Involvement & Participation NOW (‘09 – Present)
Expanded Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring
Murrells Inlet, Surfside Beach and NC
serving data online

14. MCM 2: Public Involvement & Participation NOW (‘09 – Present)
More Comprehensive Community Clean-ups
Data collection
A lot more participation even city staff

15. Needs Assessment RESULTS
Conducted to guide the planning of future stormwater educational activities offered by the core education providers during the second 5-year NPDES Phase II permit cycle.
RESULTS
MCM 1
MCM 2
Priority Target Audience
Public, Elected & Appointed Officials, and General Staff
Public, Elected & Appointed Officials, and K-12 & Higher Ed
Priority Activities
TV, Lecture/Presentation, and Radio
Community Clean-Up, Demo/Installations, and Storm Drain Marking
Suggested Activities
Hands-on Demos, Video Recording, Follow-up & Maintenance on BMPs
More Training, Elected Officials Tour, Maintenance of BMPs

16. Conclusions
Diversified partnerships and tailored activities to meet specific needs of MS4 communities
Education providers embedded within communities leads to level of trust with MS4s
Considered technical resource for MS4s
Tracking and adapting to changing requirements from state and federal guidelines for Phase II communities
Forum for exchange among MS4s

17. Contact Info
Karen Fuss, CWSEC Coordinator
Waccamaw Watershed Academy
Center for Marine & Wetland Studies
Coastal Carolina University
Website at