MS4 Public Education & Outreach

Round Table Discussion Leader: Scott W. Rogers, PhD, PE, CPMSM

Increasingly, Stormwater management professionals are recognizing that practices intended to prevent pollution are more effective and less costly than practices designed to control or contain pollution in the field. Such proactive practices are especially important in managing pollution sources associated with the general public given the inability to predict when and where citizens will release pollutants. Thus, a robust public education and outreach program can be a key component, if not the most beneficial component, of successful urban stormwater management. In light of the importance of public education and outreach, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state environmental regulators are more actively encouraging and requiring MS4 permit-regulated entities to develop structured, outcomes-oriented public education and outreach mechanisms. In this roundtable discussion session, we will facilitate a conversation that will allow the participant to (i) appreciate the importance of public education and outreach in providing effective “source control” to minimize pollution that would need to be managed by costly practices in the field, (ii) earnestly consider applying established and successful public education and outreach practices that are low-cost and are easy to implement even with limited resources, and (iii) better understand the public education and outreach requirements of MS4 permits and various ways MS4 permittees have met those requirements.

• Appreciate the importance of public education and outreach in providing effective “source control” to minimize pollution that would need to be managed by costly practices in the field.
• Apply established and successful public education and outreach practices that are low-cost and are easy to implement even with limited resources.
• Better understand the public education and outreach requirements of MS4 permits and various ways MS4 permittees have met those requirements.

Round Table Discussion Leader: Scott W. Rogers, PhD, PE, CPMSM – Environmental Coordination Engineer, Alabama Department of Transportation

Dr. Scott W. Rogers is the Environmental Coordination Engineer in the Design Bureau of the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT). His service at ALDOT since 2010 has primarily consisted of coordinating the ongoing development of the ALDOT MS4 program among many ALDOT offices and communicating the outcomes of that program in various ways to other government agencies, the professional community, and the citizens of Alabama. Since assuming the role of Environmental Coordination Engineer in October 2017, he has participated in the coordination of ALDOT’s environmental activities more broadly. Dr. Rogers holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from Auburn University in Auburn, AL, as well as M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in environmental engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA. He is a Professional Engineer in the State of Alabama and a Certified Professional in Municipal Stormwater Management.