Take the WEF Stormwater Institute’s 2020 MS4 Needs Assessment Survey

In the U.S., municipal stormwater management regulations vary greatly. Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) moderates the stormwater discharges of more than 7,500 communities through its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permitting program, cities, states, and tribes largely determine the specific approaches and treatment standards that govern how municipalities manage their stormwater discharges.

Ensure that industry groups and decision-makers have the most up-to-date information about the U.S. stormwater sector’s challenges and approaches by taking the 2020 MS4 Needs Assessment Survey. Click here to begin.

In 2018, the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) Stormwater Institute polled more than 600 Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permittees in the first attempt of its kind to identify common challenges and needs among the diverse array of U.S. stormwater managers. Results of the survey, released May 2019, underscored broad needs for dedicated sources of funding, infrastructure renewal or replacement, and clearer regulations among respondents. WEF is using this information to help guide the direction of its stormwater programming as well as to provide better context for regulators and policymakers.

This year, the WEF Stormwater Institute is updating the survey. Consisting of 26 questions, the 2020 MS4 Needs Assessment Survey will take the pulse of the U.S. stormwater sector in search of up-to-date information on permittee characteristics, obstacles, and opportunities.

Assessing capabilities and challenges

Questions included in this year’s survey align with the broader goals of the WEF Stormwater Institute: To help provide the information and resources stormwater professionals require in order to perform their jobs better.

Information gaps are a significant survey focus. Many MS4 permittees report, for example, a lack of on-staff information about such concepts as regional, cross-departmental, or watershed-based stormwater management planning, attracting funding to support stormwater projects, or the applicability and benefits of green infrastructure. Understanding shared information gaps will enable the WEF Stormwater Institute and other stormwater groups to serve as a better professional resource.

Other survey questions attempt to gauge whether MS4 permittees have the financial and social means to meet their treatment goals. Among other topics, it asks about:

  • budgetary gaps;
  • stormwater asset management plans;
  • MS4 program efficacy;
  • public outreach, workforce, and other logistical issues; and
  • investment strategies.

Results will be compiled and interpreted by the WEF Stormwater Institute MS4 Survey Work Team, which consists of leaders from municipalities, utilities, the private sector, and stormwater industry associations. Survey respondents will receive a summary of the findings before the report is published by Summer 2020. The WEF Stormwater Institute plans to update the survey every 2 years.

Questions? Contact the WEF Stormwater Institute’s Rebecca Arvin-Colon at rarvin-colon@wef.org.

TAKE THE SURVEY