National Municipal and Green Infrastructure Awards: Highlighting Success and Innovation in Stormwater

As recognized by WEF Immediate Past President Lynn Broaddus, 'stormwater management is one of the most dynamic segments of the water business.' In this evolving field, one of the best ways to move the industry forward is to identify and promote successful and innovative practices that make a meaningful and lasting impact on the world around us. To that end, the National Municipal and Green Infrastructure Awards (the Awards) were established in 2015 to recognize and highlight high-performing municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) programs and communities that are incorporating, developing, or innovating best practices for others to emulate. These awards provide greater momentum to the stormwater industry by providing publicity and peer recognition to the industry's 'best and brightest.' Every year, WEF accepts applications from MS4 programs across the country to be evaluated and considered for these awards. Applications are reviewed by a work team made up of sector experts with a broad collective background in stormwater practice. Programs are recognized for performance in the categories of innovation and program management, as well as combined high scores in both categories. This year the City and County of Honolulu (Hawaii) MS4 Program took first place in the Program Management category for Phase I communities, and the Central Massachusetts Regional Stormwater Coalition, was scored highest for Phase II permittees. Gwinnett County (Georgia) Department of Water Resources was the Phase I winner for Innovation, and the CIty of Alexandria, Virginia took home first for Phase II communities in that category. Finally, Anne Arundel County (Maryland Bureau of Watershed Protection & Restoration and the Capitol Region (Minnesota) Watershed District took home Overall Performance wins for Phase I and Phase II communities, respectively. This session will briefly detail the history and impetus for the Awards. From there, we'll quickly describe how programs can apply to be considered for the awards, and the review process that the work group undertakes to review applications. The bulk of the presentation will be spent highlighting this year's winners and why they were chosen. For this session, winners of the 2021 Awards have been invited to present their program aspects that go above and beyond their regulatory requirements, and three of the winners have indicated that they will be able to participate.