2020 MS4 General Permit Section 16 MCM 1: Public Education and Outreach

Section 16 MCM 1: Public Education and Outreach

16.1

MCM 1: Public Education and Outreach. [Minn. R. 7090]

16.2

New permittees must develop and implement, and existing permittees must revise their current program, as necessary, and continue to implement, a public education program to distribute educational materials or equivalent outreach that informs the public of the impact stormwater discharges have on waterbodies and that includes actions citizens, businesses, and other local organizations can take to reduce the discharge of pollutants to stormwater. The permittee may use existing materials if they are appropriate for the message the permittee chooses to deliver, or the permittee may develop its own educational materials. The permittee may partner with other MS4 permittees, community groups, watershed management organizations, or other groups to implement its education and outreach program. The permittee must incorporate Section 16 requirements into their program. [Minn. R. 7090]

16.3

During the permit term, the permittee must distribute educational materials or equivalent outreach focused on at least two (2) specifically selected stormwater-related issues of high priority to the permittee (e.g., specific TMDL reduction targets, changing local business practices, promoting adoption of residential BMPs, lake improvements through lake associations, household chemicals, yard waste, etc.). The topics must be different from those described in items 16.4 through 16.6. [Minn. R. 7090]

16.4

At least once each calendar year, the permittee must distribute educational materials or equivalent outreach focused on illicit discharge recognition and reporting illicit discharges to the permittee. [Minn. R. 7090]

16.5

For cities and townships, at least once each calendar year, the permittee must distribute educational materials or equivalent outreach to residents, businesses, commercial facilities, and institutions, focused on the following:

a. impacts of deicing salt use on receiving waters;

b. methods to reduce deicing salt use; and

c. proper storage of salt or other deicing materials. [Minn. R. 7090]

16.6

For cities and townships, at least once each calendar year, the permittee must distribute educational materials or equivalent outreach focused on pet waste. The educational materials or equivalent outreach must include information on the following:

a. impacts of pet waste on receiving waters;

b. proper management of pet waste; and

c. any existing permittee regulatory mechanism(s) for pet waste. [Minn. R. 7090]

16.7

The permittee must develop and implement an education and outreach plan that consists of the following:

a. target audience(s) (e.g., residents, businesses, commercial facilities, institutions, and local organizations; consideration should be given to low-income residents, people of color, and non-native English speaking residents. A resource to help identify these areas is available on the Agency's environmental justice website);

b. name or position title of responsible person(s) for overall plan implementation;

c. specific activities and schedules to reach each target audience; and

d. a description of any coordination with and/or use of stormwater education and outreach programs implemented by other entities, if applicable. [Minn. R. 7090]

16.8

The permittee must document the following information:

a. a description of all specific stormwater-related issues identified by the permittee in item 16.3;

b. all information required under the permittee's education and outreach plan in item 16.7;

c. activities held, including dates, to reach each target audience;

d. quantities and descriptions of educational materials distributed, including dates distributed; and

e. estimated audience (e.g., number of participants, viewers, readers, listeners, etc.) for each completed education and outreach activity. [Minn. R. 7090]

16.9

The permittee must conduct an annual assessment of the public education program to evaluate program compliance, the status of achieving the measurable requirements in Section 16, and determine how the program might be improved. Measurable requirements are activities that must be documented or tracked as applicable to the MCM (e.g., education and outreach efforts, implementation of written plans, etc.). The permittee must perform the annual assessment prior to completion of each annual report and document any modifications made to the program as a result of the annual assessment. [Minn. R. 7090]