With support from EPA, NMSA is hosting and maintaining an online resource focused on various aspects of the MS4 program. This product – the National MS4 Online Resource – provides information critical to the establishment, operation and development of MS4 programs. A searchable library of free online resources (reports, fact sheets, etc.) is available through the MS4 Online Resource. As an open platform for MS4 material, we invite you to submit resources that would be helpful to MS4 practitioners. Once submitted, NMSA will review the information to ensure that resources submitted are appropriate for posting and will make the resources available. After engaging with the MS4 Online Resource, you can provide feedback to help us improve this valuable resource.
EPA regularly performs surveys asking states to estimate Clean Water sector investment needs, which is performed through the EPA Clean Watershed Needs Survey (CWNS). Historically, these surveys have significantly under-represented the needs of the MS4 sector. For example, the 2012 CWNS (which is the most recent survey with published results) received input from only approximately 20% of the MS4 sector.
NMSA supports the implementation of green infrastructure (GI) to address urban stormwater challenges as GI has the capacity to not only treat pollutants but increase community resilience in flooding, coastal impacts, economics, and social dimensions. To put this support into action, NMSA is establishing the Green MS4 Ambassador program to highlight those MS4 leaders who are going above and beyond in the use of GI in their stormwater program and who are willing to leverage their experience with others. This program is also supported by the Green Infrastructure Leadership Exchange (GI Exchange) whose mission is to accelerate the affordable and equitable implementation of green stormwater infrastructure throughout North America by supporting peer learning, innovation, and collaboration among cities, counties, and utilities.
Green MS4 Ambassadors will welcome engagement with other MS4 program managers who wish to expand or improve their own GI programs and who are seeking out peer-to-peer information exchanges. Think of this as a GI match-making network between those with experience and knowledge, and those who are looking for input on how to better implement GI in their community and program.
To apply to become an NMSA Green MS4 Ambassador, please provide information via the questions below. Note that candidates for the program are not required to provide answers/input for all questions, but applicants are asked to answer as many as possible. Follow up will be made by NMSA to confirm your status as a Green MS4 Ambassador. Your name, position, and your community’s name will be listed along with other Green MS4 Ambassadors on this page as a resource for those who may wish to reach out and inquire on ways to overcome local challenges on growing GI implementation within their own communities.
NMSA will also recognize a subset of Green MS4 Ambassadors via a webinar to showcase how GI can be used in unique and significant ways in MS4 programs. The goal of this webinar will be to share GI challenges and solutions. Overall, our hope is that through an enhanced peer-to-peer network we can catalyze growth in GI implementation in communities of all sizes, permittee types, geographies, climates and vegetative regimes. For more information, please see the summary document on this program.
NMSA has provided support to the Water Environment Federation (WEF) through all three of their efforts to gather information from the MS4 sector on technical program needs and challenges as well as to capture current budgetary investments by the MS4 nationally and the additional funding required to meet community and regulatory goals.
The American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) Infrastructure Report Card is an invaluable tool in the infrastructure sector that provides a compelling and clear message on the needs in various infrastructure sectors. This important product has been released by ASCE every four years since 1998, but it wasn’t until 2021 that the stormwater sector was recognized as a new and separate infrastructure sector in the Report Card and assigned the lowest grade available, a D-, which reflects the significant amount of need in our sector.