WEF Announces Fifth Year Of MS4 Award Winners At WEFTEC 2019

Twenty-two high-performing municipalities and one university received recognition in the fifth annual National Municipal Stormwater and Green Infrastructure Awards on Sept. 23. These awards celebrate administrators of municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) that perform beyond regulatory requirements.

Developed and introduced in 2015 by the Water Environment Federation (WEF) in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this year’s distinctions were awarded to the winners during the annual Stormwater Congress Luncheon at WEFTEC 2019 in Chicago, Ill.

The awards recognize performance in the categories of innovation and program management as well combined high scores in both categories. Applications for the National Municipal Stormwater and Green Infrastructure Awards are reviewed by a broad work team of water sector experts.

MS4s are separated into two classifications based on the population of the communities they serve, and the awards are distributed according to those classifications:

• Phase I, which encompasses cities with more than 100,000 customers, and
• Phase II, which encompasses smaller storm sewer systems, and public universities, departments of transportation, hospitals and prisons

The winners of the fifth annual National Municipal Stormwater and Green Infrastructure Awards are:

Phase I Winners

• Metropolitan Nashville (Tenn.) Water Services—Overall Winner
• Anne Arundel County, Md.—Program Management
• Louisville and Jefferson County (Ky.) Metropolitan Sewer District—Innovation

Phase II Winners

• City of Alexandria, Va.— Overall Winner
• Capitol Region (Minn.) Watershed District—Innovation
• Rogue Valley (Ore.) Sewer Services—Program Management

In addition to the winners, the other applicants were categorized into levels signifying their status among other MS4 communities across the country. Each MS4 received a certificate indicating either Gold, Silver or Bronze level status in both program management and innovation.

Gold recognition in Innovation
Phase I

• Louisville and Jefferson County (Ky.) Metropolitan Sewer District
• Metro Nashville (Tenn.) Water Services – Stormwater Division

Silver recognition in Innovation

Phase I

• Albuquerque (N.M.) Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority
• Anne Arundel County, Md.
• Baltimore City (Md.) Department of Public Works
• City of Atlanta (Ga.) Department of Watershed Management
• City of Lincoln (Neb.) Watershed Management Division
• City of Roswell (Ga.) Stormwater Utility
• Fairfax County (Va.) Government
• New York City Department of Environmental Protection
• Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (La.)

Phase II

• Capitol Region Watershed District (Minn.)
• City of Alexandria (Va.)
• City of Denton (Texas)
• City of Pensacola (Fla.)
• City of Port St. Lucie (Fla.)
• City of Westlake (Ohio)
• Hobart (Ind.) Sanitary/Stormwater District
• Roanoke City (Va.) Stormwater Utility
• Rogue Valley (Ore.) Sewer Services
• The Pennsylvania State University (University Park, Pa.)
• Town of Queen Creek (Ariz.)

Bronze recognition in Innovation
Phase I

• Harris County (Texas) Engineering Department

Gold recognition in Program Management

Phase I

• Albuquerque (N.M.) Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority
• Anne Arundel County Md.)
• Baltimore City (Md.) Department of Public Works
• City of Lincoln (Neb.) Watershed Management Division
• City of Roswell (Ga.) Stormwater Utility
• Fairfax County (Va.) Government
• Louisville and Jefferson County (Ky.) Metropolitan Sewer District
• Metro Nashville (Tenn.) Water Services – Stormwater Division
• New York City Department of Environmental Protection
• Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (La.)

Phase II

• Capitol Region Watershed District (Minn.)
• City of Alexandria (Va.)
• City of Denton (Texas)
• City of Pensacola (Fla.)
• City of Port St. Lucie (Fla.)
• City of Westlake (Ohio)
• Hobart (Ind.) Sanitary/Stormwater District
• Roanoke City (Va.) Stormwater Utility
• Rogue Valley (Ore.) Sewer Services
• The Pennsylvania State University University Park, Pa.
• Town of Queen Creek (Ariz.)

Silver recognition in Program Management

Phase I

• City of Atlanta (Ga.) Department of Watershed Management
• Harris County (Texas) Engineering Department

For more information about the MS4 recognition program, visit www.wef.org/MS4awards.

About WEF
The Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization of 35,000 individual members and 75 affiliated Member Associations representing water quality professionals around the world. Since 1928, WEF and its members have protected public health and the environment. As a global water sector leader, our mission is to connect water professionals; enrich the expertise of water professionals; increase the awareness of the impact and value of water; and provide a platform for water sector innovation. For more information, visit www.wef.org.