WEF Stormwater Institute Presents the 2018 MS4 Award Winners

Attendees gather at the WEFTEC 2018 Stormwater Congress Luncheon to hear speakers discuss stormwater solutions and see National Municipal Stormwater and Green Infrastructure Awards presented to recipients. Photo courtesy of Oscar and Associates.

During the Stormwater Congress Luncheon at WEFTEC 2018, 22 agencies received recognition from the fourth-annual Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) National Municipal Stormwater and Green Infrastructure Awards Program.

Housed within the WEF Stormwater Institute, this awards program was developed to encourage innovation among municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4s) programs nationwide. The MS4 awards are intended to inspire leaders to seek new and innovative ways to meet and exceed regulatory requirements in ways that are technically effective and financially efficient.

The three award categories are Program Management, Innovation, and Overall Highest Score, which indicates the best-performing programs. Each category has winners in both Phase I and Phase II communities. Phase I communities are medium and large cities or certain counties with populations of 100,000 or more. Phase II communities are smaller entities that operate MS4s.

The 2018 National Municipal Stormwater and Green Infrastructure Award winners are listed below: 

Phase I Winners

• Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, Division of Water Quality, Kentucky — Program Management and Overall Highest Score
• Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District, Kentucky — Innovation

Phase II Winners

• City of Alexandria, Virginia — Innovation and Overall Highest Score
• City of Auburn, Alabama — Program Management

In addition to the winners, the other applicants were categorized into levels signifying their status among other MS4 communities nationwide. Each MS4 received a certificate indicating silver- or gold-level status in both Program Management and Innovation.

Phase I recognition

• Anne Arundel County, Maryland — gold in Program Management, silver in Innovation
• City of Dayton, Department of Water, Ohio — gold in Program Management, silver in Innovation
• City of Glendale, Water Services Department, Arizona — gold in Program Management, silver in Innovation
• City of Los Angeles, LA Sanitation and Environment, Watershed Protection Division — gold in Program Management, silver in Innovation
• City of Pensacola, Florida — silver in Program Management, silver in Innovation
• District Department of the Environment, Washington, D.C. — gold in Program Management, silver in Innovation
• Fairfax County, Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, Stormwater Planning Division, Virginia — gold in Program Management, silver in Innovation
• Jefferson Parish, Louisiana — gold in Program Management, silver in Innovation
• State of Hawaii Department of Transportation, Highways Division, Oahu District — gold in Program Management, silver in Innovation

Phase II recognition

• Capitol Region Watershed District, Minnesota — gold in Program Management, silver in Innovation
• City of Richmond, Department of Public Utilities, Virginia — gold in Program Management, silver in Innovation
• East Lampeter Township, Pennsylvania — gold in Program Management, silver in Innovation
• Lake Havasu City, Arizona — gold in Program Management, silver in Innovation
• Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, Missouri — gold in Program Management, silver in Innovation
• Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, Louisiana — gold in Program Management, silver in Innovation
• Tammany Parish Government, Louisiana — silver in Program Management, silver in Innovation
• Town of North Hempstead, New York — silver in Program Management, silver in Innovation
• Town of Yarmouth, Massachusetts — gold in Program Management, silver in Innovation