This issue brief from the Environmental Finance Center Network (EFCN) is intended for town officials who want to understand how development regulations in their community affect local water resources. Municipal development codes –the set of regulations that control the built environment – can have a great influence on the availability of clean and healthy water for drinking, recreation, and commercial uses. This, in turn, affects the community’s social, environmental, and economic vitality.

Your level of service can be thought of as how well you are currently meeting the requirements of your stormwater program. For example, if you are only prioritizing and cleaning your stormwater inlets based on complaints then this would be a “minimal” level of service. A “medium” level of service may be that you are inspecting and cleaning your stormwater outfalls once a year or slightly above the inspection rate outlined in your permit.

In September 2010, the EFC worked with the Town of Ocean City to conduct a stormwater financing feasibility study. A grant was leveraged from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Chesapeake & Coastal Program in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with local resources to develop a sustainable financing strategy to support a comprehensive stormwater program over time. The study provided a set of recommendations to Ocean City officials for how the Town might implement a long-term strategy for financing stormwater management.

Watch this engaging humourous 30 second video for an example of a public service message addressing illicit discharge sources. See a raindrop’s neighborhood journey that identifies causes of nutrient and sediment pollution, and connects these activities with risks to streams, rivers and lakes. Tagline, "Help be a solution to water pollution."

Are you looking for a success story within the Chesapeake Bay to illustrate a compliance pathway for minimum control measures one and two? 

Watch this 12 minute video produced by US EPA on the District of Columbia's Department of Energy and Evironment's award winning program. Hear testimonials from homeowner participants and get "how to" advise from municipal staff on building an incentive program. Perfect for community engagement, education, and outreach while achieving measureable reductions through retrofits.

Watch this 2 minute animation by American Rivers for an illustration of the new approach many communities are embracing to manage stormwater runoff. Here the viewer sees an orchestrated visual story that does not require narration to focus on why capturing rainfall and preventing it from polluting surrounding waterways is important.