vvEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Water EPA 833-FOO-005
(4203) January 2000 (revised December 2005)
Fact Sheet 2.3
Storm water Phase II
Final Rule
Stormwater Phase II
Final Rule
Fact Sheet Series
Overview
1.0 - Stormwater Phase II Final
Rule: An Overview
Small MS4 Program
2.0 - Small MS4 Stormwater
Program Overview
2.1 - Who's Covered? Designation
and Waivers of Regulated Small
MS4s
2.2 - Urbanized Areas: Definition
and Description
Minimum Control Measures
2.3 - Public Education and
Outreach
2.4-Public Participation/
Involvement
2.5 - Illicit Discharge Detection
and Elimination
2.6 - Construction Site Runoff
Control
2.7 - Post-Construction Runoff
Control
2.8 - Pollution Prevention/Good
Housekeeping
2.9 - Permitting and Reporting:
The Process and Requirements
2.10 - Federal and State-Operated
MS4s: Program Implementation
Construction Program
3.0 - Construction Program
Overview
3.1 - Construction Rainfall
Erosivity Waiver
Industrial "No Exposure"
4.0 - Conditional No Exposure
Exclusion for Industrial Activity
Public Education and Outreach
Minimum Control Measure
This fact sheet profiles the Public Education and Outreach minimum control measure, one
of six measures an operator of a Phase II-regulated small municipal separate storm sewer
system (MS4) is required to include in its stormwater management program to meet the
conditions of its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater permit.
This fact sheet outlines the Phase II Final Rule requirements and offers some general guidance
on how to satisfy them. It is important to keep in mind that the regulated small MS4 operator
has a great deal of flexibility in choosing exactly how to satisfy the minimum control measure
requirements.
Why Is Public Education and Outreach Necessary?
Ln informed and knowledgeable community is crucial to the i
management program since it helps to ensure the following:
An informed and knowledgeable community is crucial to the success of a stormwater
r
• Greater support for the program as the public gains a greater understanding of the
reasons why it is necessary and important. Public support is particularly beneficial when
operators of small MS4s attempt to institute new funding initiatives for the program or
seek volunteers to help implement the program; and
• Greater compliance with the program as the public becomes aware of the personal
responsibilities expected of them and others in the community, including the individual
actions they can take to protect or improve the quality of area waters.
What Is Required?
T
'o satisfy this minimum control measure, the operator of a regulated small MS4 needs to:
Implement a public education program to distribute educational materials to the
community, or conduct equivalent outreach activities about the impacts of
stormwater discharges on local waterbodies and the steps that can be taken to reduce
stormwater pollution; and
Determine the appropriate best management practices (BMPs) and measurable goals
for this minimum control measure. Some program implementation approaches,
BMPs (i.e., the program actions/activities), and measurable goals are suggested
below.
What Are Some Guidelines for Developing and Implementing This
Measure?
Three main action areas are important for successful implementation of a public education and
outreach program:
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Fact Sheet 2.3 - Public Education and Outreach Minimum Control Measure
Page 2
© Forming Partnerships
Operators of regulated small MS4s are encouraged to utilize
partnerships with other governmental entities to fulfill
this minimum control measure's requirements. It is generally
more cost-effective to use an existing program, or to develop a
new regional or state-wide education program, than to have
numerous operators developing their own local programs.
Operators also are encouraged to seek assistance from non-
governmental organizations (e.g., environmental, civic, and
industrial organizations), since many already have educational
materials and perform outreach activities.
@ Using Educational Materials and Strategies
Operators of regulated small MS4s may use stormwater
educational information provided by their State, Tribe, EPA
Region, or environmental, public interest, or trade organizations
instead of developing their own materials. Operators should
strive to make their materials and activities relevant to local
situations and issues, and incorporate a variety of strategies to
ensure maximum coverage. Some examples include:
• Brochures or fact sheets for general public and specific
audiences;
• Recreational guides to educate groups such as golfers,
hikers, paddlers, climbers, fishermen, and campers;
• Alternative information sources, such as web sites,
bumper stickers, refrigerator magnets, posters for bus
and subway stops, and restaurant placemats;
• A library of educational materials for community and
school groups;
• Volunteer citizen educators to Staff a public education
taskforce;
• Event participation with educational displays at home
shows and community festivals;
• Educational programs for school-age children;
• Storm drain stenciling of storm drains with messages
such as "Do Not Dump - Drains Directly to Lake;"
• Stormwater hotlines for information and for citizen
reporting of polluters;
• Economic incentives to citizens and businesses
(e.g., rebates to homeowners purchasing mulching
lawnmowers or biodegradable lawnproducts);and
• Tributary signage to increase public awareness of local
water resources.
© Reaching Diverse Audiences
The public education program should use a mix of appropriate
local strategies to address the viewpoints and concerns of a
variety of audiences and communities, including minority and
disadvantaged communities, as well as children. Printing posters
and brochures in more than one language or posting large
warning signs (e.g., cautioning against fishing or swimming)
near storm sewer outfalls are methods that can be used to reach
audiences less likely to read standard materials. Directing
materials or outreach programs toward specific groups of
commercial, industrial, and institutional entities likely to
have significant stormwater impacts is also recommended. For
example, information could be provided to restaurants on the
effects of grease clogging storm drains and to auto garages on
the effects of dumping used oil into storm drains.
What Are Appropriate Measurable Goals?
Measurable goals, which are required for each minimum
control measure, are intended to gauge permit compliance
and program effectiveness. The measurable goals, as well as
the BMPs, should reflect the needs and characteristics of the
operator and the area served by its small MS4. Furthermore,
they should be chosen using an integrated approach that fully
addresses the requirements and intent of the minimum control
measure. Finally, they should allow the MS4 to make
improvements to its program over each 5-year permit term by
providing data on program successes and shortfalls.
EPA has developed a Measurable Goals Guidance for Phase II
MS4s that is designed to help program managers comply with
the requirement to develop measurable goals. The guidance
presents an approach for MS4 operators to develop measurable
goals as part of their stormwater management plan. For example,
an MS4 could develop a stormwater public education campaign
for radio and television. The goal of the campaign might be to
increase the number of dog owners who pick up after their pets.
To measure the program's progress towards this goal, the
program manager might perform a stormwater public awareness
survey at the beginning, during, and at the end of the permit term
to gauge any change is pet owner behavior over time. As
another example, an MS4 might want to encourage "do-it-
yourselfers" to recycle used motor oil by establishing and
advertising a municipal drop-off center. The MS4 could
measure progress toward this goal by tracking the amount of
motor oil collected and correlating those data to the timing of
public service announcements and other advertisements to see if
their message is being received.
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Fact Sheet 2.3 - Public Education and Outreach Minimum Control Measure
Page 3
For Additional Information
Contacts
"^ U.S. EPA Office of Wastewater Management
http ://www. epa. gov/npdes/stormwater
Phone: 202-564-9545
"^ Your NPDES Permitting Authority. Most States and
Territories are authorized to administer the NPDES
Program, except the following, for which EPA is the
permitting authority:
Alaska
District of Columbia
Idaho
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New Mexico
American Samoa
Guam
Johnston Atoll
Midway and Wake Islands
Northern Mariana Islands
Puerto Rico
Trust Territories
"^ A list of names and telephone numbers for each EPA
Region and State is located at http://www.epa.gov/
npdes/stormwater (click on "Contacts").
Reference Documents
"^ EPA's Stormwater Web Site
http ://www. epa. gov/npdes/stormwater
• Stormwater Phase II Final Rule Fact Sheet Series
• Stormwater Phase II Final Rule (64 FR 68722)
• National Menu of Best Management Practices
for Stormwater Phase II
• Measurable Goals Guidance for Phase II Small
MS4s
• Stormwater Case Studies
• Stormwater Month Materials
• And many others
"^ Getting In Step
http ://www. epa. gov/o wow/watershed/outreach/
documents/getnstep.pdf
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