Stormwater | From the Trenches

By Danielle Stern

As the public outreach/education coordinator for Brevard County (FL) Surface Water Improvement (SWI), my mission is to convince people to change the way they "have been doing things for years" in order to reduce the problem of stormwater pollution. My job doesn’t require the stunts that Tom Cruise needed to complete his impossible mission, but it definitely calls for some carefully planned tactics. These are some of the successful approaches Brevard County has taken to inform our citizens about runoff and its effects on our waterways.

School Groups. We have developed a presentation surrounding an Enviroscape, a model of a typical community with neighborhoods, agricultural land, factories, construction sites, golf courses, roadways, and water bodies. During the presentation, we use a variety of items to "pollute" the community and then, together with the students, we make it "rain." As we wash the pollutants into the water body, the children can get a better understanding of the consequences of their everyday actions. In the last six months, we have spoken to more than 1,000 students in classrooms and at summer camps, and the presentation is always a crowd pleaser.

Environmental Shows. We have attended numerous environmental shows in Brevard County, allowing us to speak with hundreds of residents about how their actions contribute to stormwater pollution. The shows prove to be an effective way to discuss the problem with citizens who we might not normally have access to. We have learned, however, that environmental exhibits alone are not enough to bring people out to a show. If there are other activities, such as a carnival, an art show, or a concert, there is usually a larger turnout.

Homeowner Groups. Homeowner groups are definitely our toughest challenge. Although we have sent letters to the homeowner associations volunteering a guest speaker, response has been very low. Our department usually sees large turnouts when we hold project-specific meetings in neighborhoods, because homeowners see this as an issue that affects them. Unfortunately, they do not express the same feelings about stormwater runoff. In an effort to reach more homeowners, we try other avenues, including writing articles for smaller community publications as well as the area’s major newspaper, Florida Today. The articles have drummed up interest, and we have received numerous positive phone calls and e-mails from concerned citizens. Disappointingly, it has not increased the number of invitations to association meetings as we hoped. Other attempted actions include speaking at the Marine Resources Council’s brown-bag lunch (citizens bring their lunch and listen to the presentation) and mailing informational brochures to lagoon-front homeowners. These two approaches received a favorable response.

Storm-Drain Markers. Fifteen municipalities, Brevard County, and the St. Johns River Water Management District’s Indian River Lagoon Program have joined efforts to implement a storm-drain marking program as a way to heighten public awareness about stormwater pollution. A stormwater working group comprising city representatives and other organizations designed the round blue and yellow marker that says, "Flows to Lagoon. Keep Curbs Clean." Most of the cities will be using either their public works departments or volunteer groups to affix them.

SWI continues to develop new educational tools everyday. Within the next few months, we will have a Web site up and running. The site will focus on the problem of stormwater runoff, the best management practices we use to reduce the pollution, and what homeowners can do to help. Also planned for the future is a television show about stormwater pollution to be aired on our local government channel before the end of the year. We will also be developing new informational brochures and targeting specific groups, such as newcomers to the area and businesses that could potentially have harmful effects on our waterways. As you can see, we will be busy striving to achieve my mission.

Danielle Stern is the public outreach/education coordinator at Brevard County Surface Water Improvement.

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