Public education and outreach goals for the Salisbury Township Environmental Advisory Council include increased involvement with Salisbury Township School District kindergarten through 12th grade classes, having a presence at township community events, securing a grant for an Enviroscape system and completing the township municipal building stormwater retention basin project.

The goals were outlined by Kreg Ulery, chairperson of STEAC at its monthly meeting Jan. 18.

“We want to do at least two educational events,” Ulery said to fellow STEAC members.

Ulery said it is important to identify plans for education.

He said by setting goals, STEAC will be better able to monitor its fulfillment of them. The STEAC is tasked to have “measurable goals,” Ulery said.

“As we have our meetings, we’re going to have to look back at our goals and make sure we’re meeting them,” Ulery said.

The Enviroscape demonstration system is a display model that explains matters such as land use and stormwater runoff. It can be shown at community events. The STEAC wants to have at least one person trained to provide demonstrations.

STEAC members are to staff a table with printed materials about stormwater, demonstrate the harm of illegal discharges into the stormwater system and encourage residents to mitigate runoff problems at their properties.

The stormwater basin project at the municipal building will require at least one event open to the public to explain the project. An information kiosk about the project is planned for the site.

Township kindergarten through 12th grade classes would receive printed information as part of the science curriculum. Two education events for students are planned.

Public education and outreach falls under the category of Minimum Control Measures No. 1.

The STEAC is also to provide materials on the theme of “When it rains, it drains” at public events and for publication.

This fulfills BMP No. 3, which requires annual publication of at least one education item.

The STEAC must explain how its public involvement and participation addresses measurable goals.

Ulery noted the STEAC includes public input and questions about stormwater problems at its monthly meetings, regularly communicates with the area watershed coalition and collaborates on events (the rain barrel project with South Whitehall Township, for example).

Ulery also chairs the Lehigh Valley Bird Town Coalition.

This item is under the category of MCM No. 2, public involvement and participation.

MS4 Stormwater Management Program Protocol requires MCMs to enforce the MS4 program, mandated by United States Environmental Protection Agency and enforced by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

The township has 87 Best Management Practice items listed under MCMs categories.

MS4 is an acronym for Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System, with the “M” standing for “Municipal” and the numeral “4” representing the four “S” first letters of each word in Separate Storm Sewer System.

Under the federal Clean Water Act, a municipality must have a NPDES permit for storm water discharges and must maintain compliance with the permit.

Municipalities are required to fulfill six MCMs: 1. Public Education, 2. Public Participation, 3. Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination, 4. Construction Site Runoff Control, 5. Post-Construction Storm water Management, and 6. Pollution Prevention for Municipal Operations and Maintenance.

Sandy Nicolo is Salisbury Township Assistant Zoning Officer, Code Enforcement Officer and MS4 Coordinator.

Nicolo is tasked to address all MCMs, but specifically numbers 3 through 6.

The STEAC is tasked by township commissioners to implement the first two of the six MCMs.

The DEP lauded the Salisbury Township MS4 program in its Sept. 21, 2016, review.

The DEP review is part of the township’s recertification for its five-year National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, issued in 2014 and expiring in 2018.