22_NCS000250_HSP_External Ed Plan

Highway
Stormwater
North Carolina Department of Transportation
Highway Stormwater Program
External Education Plan
Prepared by:
URS Corporation — North Carolina
1600 Perimeter Park Drive
Suite 400
Morrisville, NC 27560
Prepared for:
NC Department of Transportation
Highway Stormwater Program
NPDES Permit No. NCS000250
1590 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1590
919.707.6700
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Table of ContentsListofTables .....................................................................................
Listof Acronyms........................................................................................................................
1.0 Introduction...................................................................................................................
1.1 Term IV Permit Requirements....................................................................................
1.2 Objectives of this Plan................................................................................................
1.3 Types of Training Included in EE Program...................................................................
1.4 Related Documents....................................................................................................
2.0 Roles and Responsibilities..............................................................................................
3.0 Activities and Partners...................................................................................................
3.1 External Education and Involvement Plan...................................................................
3.1.1 Provide pollution prevention awareness educational materials to general public
3.1.2 Maintain a public education website..................................................................
3.1.3 Develop educational partnerships......................................................................
4.0 Implementing this Plan..................................................................................................
List of Tables
Table 1. Term IV EE Management Measures..................................................................................
Table 2. Roles and Responsibilities for Education and Involvement Program (includes Internal and
ExternalEducation).......................................................................................................................
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List of Acronyms
External Education Five -Year Plan
COG
Council of Governments
DTS
Division of Technical Services
EE
External Education
HSP
Highway Stormwater Program
IE
Internal Education
NCDENR
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
NCDOT
North Carolina Department of Transportation
NPDES
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
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1.0 Introduction
This External Education (EE) Plan is a requirement of NCDOT's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) Permit No. NCS000250. NCDOT established the Highway Stormwater Program (HSP) to
develop and implement permit -related programs to protect and enhance stormwater quality on North
Carolina's transportation facilities. The Education and Involvement Program is required by the permit
and is tasked with educating both NCDOT staff and contractors (Internal Education or IE) and the general
public (EE) about what NCDOT is doing to manage stormwater. This plan focuses solely on external
(public) education and involvement. Internal education is covered under a separate plan document.
Version 1 of this plan was submitted to North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (NCDENR) in 2007. The permit has been renewed and the requirements revised since the
original plan was submitted. The major changes in Version 2 of the EE Plan are:
• EE requirements in Term IV of the permit are identified.'
• Plan objectives were slightly modified and clarified; considerations about how to implement the
objectives were added.
This plan will be reviewed every five years (when the permit is renewed) and updated if needed. As
necessary, additional reviews and updates will be made to keep the Plan up to date. Specific activities
are documented in the Annual Report submitted to NCDENR each year.
1.1 Term IV Permit Requirements
The EE Program objectives defined in the permit are to:
• Implement a program to educate the public about the importance of stormwater quality and
what they can do to support it
• Maintain diverse educational materials to engage and educate the public from different social,
economic and age groups.
• Encourage public involvement in NCDOT stormwater quality programs.
The NCDOT is expected to implement the management measures defined in Table 1 to meet these
objectives. NCDOT will notify DEMLR prior to modification of any goals.
Table 1. Term IV EE Management Measures
a. External Education and Maintain the External Education and Involvement Plan. The plan shall
Involvement Plan. include the requirements for the measurable goals below.
' This revised plan was written while the Term IV permit was still in draft. When the permit is final, the plan will be
updated if needed.
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Management Measures
Measurable Goals
b. Provide pollution
Provide stormwater pollution prevention awareness information to
prevention awareness
the general public.
educational materials
to general public.
c. Maintain a public
Maintain a public education website to document NCDOT pollution
education website.
prevention programs and promote stormwater quality. The website
will include information on stormwater, water quality, stormwater
projects and activities, and ways to contact stormwater management
program staff.
d. Develop educational
Work with NCDENR and other agencies to promote and distribute
partnerships.
public education materials
e. Continue public
Continue the Adopt -a -Highway program. Additional programs may
involvement programs.
also be developed.
1.2 Objectives of this Plan
The objectives of this EE Plan are to:
1. Define roles and responsibilities of NCDOT and contractors
2. Provide examples of activities for each measurable goal defined in the permit
3. Identify considerations for assessing and prioritizing specific educational opportunities
4. Idenfity considerations for selecting potential partners
It is not the intent of the Plan to dictate specific activities, but to provide information about the
framework in which specific activities are planned. Section 2 discusses roles and responsibilities for plan
implementation. Section 3 provides more information and examples to meet Plan objectives 2, 3, and 4;
it also provides guidance on how each of the Management Measures and Goals listed in Table 1 will be
met. Section 4 describes how the plan will be implemented and the tools used to track projects and
report on activities.
1.3 Types of Training Included in EE Program
For the purposes of this EE Plan, the term "external education" is defined broadly to include materials
and experiences that enhance the acquisition, retention, and application of stormwater knowledge by
the general public. The content and format of training, guidance, or outreach materials developed will
depend on the complexity of the information or task, its intended audience or end -user, and whether it
is a by-product or intermediate product of a larger program or deliverable. Educational materials must
be prepared that use language and technical terminology that correlate to the user's educational level,
age, primary language, social background and economic status. Therefore, the EE Program takes
advantage of numerous educational opportunities and communication channels to reach various target
audiences with a wide range of information types.
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Examples of different types of educational materials include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Formal educational materials such as lesson plans, experiments, or activities designed for
specific grade levels (K12, college, post -graduate)
• Workshops, conferences, and meetings
• Visual aids such as signs, posters, brochures, board postings, or other infographics with a
stormwater message
• Postings on social media such as Facebook
• Websites and other online games or apps
The materials listed above are used to address three different types of educational training or activities:
• Awareness — to improve understanding of how human activities may affect stormwater quality
and what may be done to minimize impacts
• Procedural — protocols and "how-to training"
Technical — detailed training of the scientific or engineering principals that may improve understanding
of how stormwater management techniques result in water quality improvements.
The EE Program is primarily focused on the first type — Awareness — and needs to address diverse
educational levels. However, Procedural and Technical materials may be useful to subsets of the general
public such as research scientists, stormwater practitioners outside of NCDOT, and environmental
engineers or scientists. Educational training materials developed for the IE Program may be re -purposed
to reach these specialized audiences. Utilizing a combination of these types of training and applying
materials developed for IE to a public audience contribute to the efficient execution and sustainability of
NCDOT's HSP programs.
1.4 Related Documents
Several other HSP documents are useful resources for EE Program planning. They provide examples of
past activities and audiences as well as ideas for future activities:
• Internal Education Plan NPDES Permit Term III (2010-2015): completed in November 2012, this
plan defines the scope of activities and audiences covered under internal education. Useful for
EE to avoid overlapping or potentially redundant activities, and also source of materials that
may be adapted for EE.
• HSP Education and Training Needs Assessment: completed in March 2014, this report
summarizes a review of both the internal and external education programs and evaluated
opportunities for the development of new approaches to promote stormwater education and
training. The document contains many suggestions for activities and audiences for external
education, and has been used to generate project ideas for EE.
• HSP Annual Reports: provide summary of HSP education activities and audiences targeted in
past years.
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2.0 Roles and Responsibilities
The programs required by the NPDES permit are implemented under NCDOT's HSP. Primary
management of the HSP is shared by the Hydraulics Unit (a business unit in Preconstruction in the
Division of Technical Services [DTS]) and the Roadside Environmental Unit (REU; a business unit in Field
Support in the Division of Highways). Staff from these two Units as well as their management consultant
comprise the "HSP Team" that manages all programs under HSP. Key roles and responsibilities for the EE
Program as defined in the permit are summarized in Table 2.
Table 2. Roles and Responsibilities for Education and Involvement Program (includes Internal and
External Education)
.
Primary
Oversight
Position and Contact Information
State Environmental Operations
Engineer, Roadside
Environmental Unit
Responsibilities
• Coordinate with other unit heads to
provide support.
. Authorize manpower and funding for
REU staff to implement the Education
Program.
Daily
Education Manager
• Lead the Education Program
Management
Environmental Operations Engineer,
development and implementation.
Roadside Environmental Unit
. Assess needs and effectiveness of the
program on a regular basis.
• Coordinate with other units.
• Provide daily management.
• Coordinate with managers of other
programs under the HSP to develop and
provide training as needed.
• Maintain a public education website
regarding DOT's NPDES permit and
activities under the permit.
• Act as point of contact for internal staff
and the public.
• Coordinate with other organizations to
develop and implement environmental
awareness in the motoring public.
• Report Education Program status to HSP
Management.
• Contribute to the Annual Report.
Implementation
Managers for other HSP programs.
• Identify training needs for staff and
— In field
contractors.
Turnpike Authority Executive
. Assist in the development of training
Director
materials, including presentations,
posters, manuals, etc.
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Office of Beautification
Other DOT staff responsible for
stormwater controls at individual
faculties _
Consultants
Implementation I State Environmental Operations
— material Engineer. Roadside Environmental
development Unit
Director of Education Initiatives,
Division of Strategic Planning
Communications Office
Human Resources, DOT Training
Coordinator
Project Manager— Highway
Stormwater Program, Hydraulics
Unit
IT Manager, Information Technology
_ I — Client Services
Consultant
Support from . NCDENR
other • Other public organizations
Organizations
3.0 Activities and Partners
• Coordinate training for the public,
including maintaining a public education
website for general environmental
awareness, Adopt -A -Highway, and
littering.
• Coordinate with other organizations for
public education, especially for Adopt -A -
Highway, littering, and children.
Perform training for staff as appropriate.
Perform training for staff as appropriate.
• Contribute in development of consistent
training materials, as needed.
• Coordinate integration of stormwater
training into DOT's Learning
Management System.
• Develop training materials.
• Update Internal and External Education
Plans as needed
• Collaborate on development and
distribution of educational materials.
Specific ideas for projects or activities will be developed on an ongoing basis by the HSP EE Program
Managers and proposed to HSP management periodically. Selection of projects will be based on the
following considerations:
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• Relevance — the project must be relevant to water quality management in general and
stormwater in particular.
• Size and characteristics of the audience reached — preference will be given to activities that
reach a large audience or that reach a special audience that has been identified as important for
outreach. NCDOT strives to maintain diverse educational materials to engage and educate the
public from different social, economic and age groups.
• Cost-effectiveness — projects that re -use material, piggy back on other activities, or otherwise
are an efficient use of funds will be given priority.
• Sustainability — projects or activities that will provide benefits over several years and/or that can
be distributed through multiple communication channels (as opposed to one-off activities) will
have priority.
• Timeliness — projects that focus attention on new research or an emerging issue will be given
priority.
The Fact Sheet issued with the Term IV permit includes some examples of potential audiences and
educational materials to be targeted. While these are not requirements, they provide illustrations of the
intent of the EE Program. Per the Fact Sheet, the external audience is the "general public" which may
include school -age children, the vacationing public, pet owners, and others. Examples of the types of
information mentioned in the Fact Sheet include chemical application, illicit discharges and illegal
dumping, proper disposal of pet waste, and other stormwater-related topics. In general, the audience
for external education is very broad and includes a wide range of ages and education levels. The type of
information can include anything in any program within HSP. However, the target audience needs to be
considered when deciding which information to include.
Examples of different types of projects that have been completed under or considered for EE are
described in the remainder of this section grouped by the Management Measures listed in Table 1.
3.1 External Education and Involvement Plan
The development and submittal of the original EE plan as well as this revision of the plan meet the
measurable goals for this requirement. This plan provides the requirements for attaining the other four
management measures.
3.1.1 Provide pollution prevention awareness educational materials to general public
A wide diversity of projects can be defined under this management measure. Initially, HSP focused on
presentations, distribution of flyers and other opportunities to interface directly with the public. In
recent years, more attention is being paid to utilization of social networking and other electronic
communication channels. Examples of the types of activities that have been completed and are being
considered to meet this management measure are:
Stormwater Awareness Brochure
The brochure entitled "Pollution... What's Our Connection?" explains how people can improve
stormwater quality by making educated choices in their daily activities. The brochure is distributed
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throughout the state by various divisions of NCDENR. It is also available to the public at NC Welcome
Centers, Rest Areas, Ferry Terminals and State Parks. The brochure was also available at the NC State
Fair exhibits. An electronic version of the brochure is available on NCDOT's website.
Stormwater Flyer
NCDOT has created a stormwater flyer which has been distributed to approximately 2,000,000
citizens as part of the vehicle registration renewal forms distributed by the NC Division of
Motor Vehicles (DMV) to motor vehicle owners. The text includes information about pollution
prevention methods, what citizens can do, and why controlling stormwater runoff is important. The flyer
refers citizens to the HSP website to learn more.
NC State Fair
Since 2004 NCDOT has sponsored an exhibit at the NC State Fair to educate the public about
bioretention basins and rain gardens as a way to reduce stormwater runoff. The focal point of the
exhibit is a rain barrel and gutter downspout to demonstrate how homeowners can use rain water
effectively in their gardening. A poster with the rain barrel describes how NCDOT uses bioretention
basins along highways to reduce pollution from stormwater runoff. The poster also shows how a
homeowner can use the same concept on a small scale to create a rain garden to improve stormwater
quality on their own property. Plants used in rain gardens are displayed in pots. The exhibit was
expanded at the 2005 NC State Fair to include a second poster explaining in more detail how
bioretention works. The brochure entitled "A Rain Garden Grows" was originally distributed at the 2005
NC State Fair. In subsequent years, NCDOT has distributed brochures on topics such as illicit discharge,
stormwater activities for kids, and pet waste stations, and small trash bags with the stormwater logo.
Stormwater Flash Cards
This cutout flash card sheet of stormwater-related questions and answers was developed for
the 2004 NC State Fair. One side of the card has basic questions such as "What is stormwater?" and
"How can I prevent stormwater pollution?" The back of each card has answers to the questions. The
cards can be used by educators or parents to teach children basic stormwater facts. After the initial
distribution at the State Fair, the cards were reprinted in response to requests from teachers. The cards
are distributed as requests are made. The cards have been distributed at subsequent State Fairs and are
available on NCDOT's website.
IDDEP Brochure
NCDOT developed a brochure entitled "Help Reduce Water Pollution along NC Highways" that
focuses on illicit connections and illegal dumping. The brochure is easy to read and includes a form for
reporting these types of problems. The brochure was distributed to all Adopt -A -Highway groups;
numerous municipalities; the Department of Corrections Inmate Labor Program, visitors to the NC State
Fair; and other partners, and is available on NCDOT's website.
Stormwater Workshops and Presentations
HSP team members have given presentations on stormwater topics at schools, public
conferences and other events throughout the state and nationally. These types of activities are
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relatively low cost and effective at reaching interested audiences. With the increased usage of webinars,
the size the audiences reached with one presentation is growing. Audiences have included elementary
and high school students, as well as stormwater professionals outside NCDOT.
NC Big Sweep
NCDOT's Roadside Environmental Unit has given presentations about stormwater at this annual
event to encourage citizens to clean up North Carolina's waterways. HSP has also provided bags and
gloves to participants.
Rest Areas
Rest areas provide a unique opportunity for public education because so many travelers along
the state's major highways visit them. Over 55 rest areas and welcome centers have been equipped
with pet waste stations which educate travelers about the impacts of pet wastes in stormwater, such as
the potential source of disease and parasites to receiving streams, especially in shellfish and swimming
areas. The waste stations provide bags for waste pick up. Several rest areas have been retrofitted with
best management practices (BMPs) to control stormwater. These sites are ideally suited for interpretive
education. The motoring public can learn about the BMP and why it has been chosen for the site, and
then see the finished product. Education signs were placed at the Catawba and Warsaw Rest Areas
where bioretention basins were installed. Additional locations will be considered throughout the course
of the permit.
Signage at Ocean Outfalls
Signs at Kure Beach on the North Carolina coast describe how retrofits, installed in a
partnership between NCDOT an the Town of Kure Beach, divert stormwater from ocean outfalls
to dune infiltration chambers and result in reducing bacterial levels discharged to the ocean.
Facebook Posts
Short messages can be posted on Facebook to promote stormwater awareness. Types of
messages include general awareness (directing people to the NCDOT.GOV or Connect NCDOT
websites for more information) as well as seasonal or holiday related posts. NCDOT also has several
Twitter feeds, YouTube channels and Pinterest sites that can be utilized. For example, one Facebook
post directed the public to a NCDOT sponsored retrofit at the North Carolina Zoo.
3.1.2 Maintain a public education website
The public education website, designed to meet the requirements of the NPDES Stormwater Permit,
went live on March 17, 2005. http://www.ncdot.gov/programs/environment/stormwater/
NCDOT also created an HSP site under the Hydraulics Unit site on Connect NCDOT in August 2012.
https://connect.ncdot.gov/resources/hydro/Pages/Stormwater-Program.aspx
Additional information about stormwater-related topics can be found at
• Adopt -A -Highway: http://www.ncdot.gov/programs/aah/
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• Litter Prevention:
http://www.ncdot.gov/doh/operations/dp chief eng/roadside/Beautification/
In 2014-2015, the HSP undertook a major redesign of both the original ncdot.gov site and the Connect
NCDOT sites. The content of both sites should be reviewed and kept current to continue complying with
this measure.
3.1.3 Develop educational partnerships
NCDOT's primary partner for external education has been NCDENR. Additional partnerships have been
formed to promote awareness of stormwater and to distribute public education materials. For example,
the Cape Fear Council of Governments (COG) and NC Coastal Federation have helped distribute
brochures.
The HSP EE Program will explore opportunities to partner with other organizations. Specific projects will
be evaluated using the criteria listed at the beginning of Section 3. In addition, the alignment of the
organization's goals with the HSP's will be a key factor in creating partnerships. The organizations track
record of outreach and reputation within North Carolina will also play a role.
3.1.4 Continue public involvement programs
This management measure originally referred to existing environmentally related public involvement
programs such as the Adopt -A -Highway or Swat -a -Litterbug programs. HSP has continued to work with
the Office of Beautification to support these programs. HSP should continue to look for new public
involvement programs outside of HSP and support those that meet permit requirements. For example,
NCDOT's Office of Education Initiatives sponsors several programs targeting students from grade school
through collage that may align with HSP goals and objectives.
4.0 Implementing this Plan
The EE Program will review permit requirements and through specific projects, and will conduct
activities to fulfill permit requirements. The EE Program will create and maintain a Vision document on
the internal HSP project team website. The Vision document is an internal planning business document
that discusses the permit requirements, interactions with other program areas and proposed projects.
The Vision document and proposed project list will be reviewed and updated periodically — typically
annually. NCDOT will select the projects to be funded and implemented. Projects completed for EE will
be documented through the Annual Report. The Annual Report is provided to NCDENR each year.
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