| "Consolidating resources doesn't just save time and money; it allows us to work faster and share ideas more effectively." | |
| Chris Kleist, City of Duluth |
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When federal regulations compelled smaller municipalities and larger organizations to begin managing stormwater runoff and communicating with the public about their efforts, officials around the Lake Superior shoreline decided to take a regional approach. Their collaborative efforts have proven to be cost effective and have improved and standardized the stormwater messages reaching the public.
"Consolidating resources doesn't just save time and money," says Chris Kleist, the City of Duluth's stormwater coordinator. "It allows us to work faster and share ideas more effectively."
The Regional Stormwater Protection Team is a partnership of 26 local and regional governments, agencies, nonprofits, colleges, and universities that was formed in 2003 in response to Phase II Stormwater Regulations established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Both the Lake Superior Coastal Program and Minnesota Sea Grant Program have staff members on the team and have provided other support.
Funding and staff limitations inspired the participating agencies and organizations to sign a memorandum of understanding agreeing to share resources to protect and enhance the region's water resources by coordinating educational programs and technical assistance.
"Instead of doing our own programs and offering separate workshops and trainings, we all agreed to put our heads together and share our knowledge and money," says Kleist, one of the co-chairs of the group.
The team has developed a media campaign that includes everything from brochures to three 30-second "Watershed Moment" television public service announcements. The group also hosts family-oriented Lake Superior Watershed Festivals, offers training workshops for construction and maintenance crews, and has created a live mascot, Rex, who hands out doggy bags to pet owners at various events.
Team members also contribute technical and outreach information to www.lakesuperiorstreams.org. The interactive website provides real-time water quality data from regional streams and incorporates the data into community information, classroom curricula, case studies, and tools for contractors, developers, and decision makers.
All of the group's activities focus on strategies to protect existing resources and prevent the high costs of trying to restore water quality later, notes Kate Kubiak, conservation specialist with the South St. Louis Soil and Water Conservation District, and the other team co-chair.
While team members pay dues, more than $225,000 in project funding has come from the coastal program over the past four years.
"One of the things that has been really valuable about the group," says Pat Collins, program manager for Minnesota's Lake Superior Coastal Program, "is that they take advantage of the synergy that you get when you bring together different agencies and organizations that share the same goals relative to stormwater management and protection."
For more information on the Regional Stormwater Protection Team, go to www.duluthstreams.org/stormwater/rspt.html, or contact Chris Kleist at (218) 730-4130, or ckleist@duluthmn.gov, or Kate Kubiak at (218) 723-4867, or kate.kubiak@southstlouisswcd.org. You may also contact Pat Collins at (218) 834-1443, or Pat.Collins@dnr.state.mn.us.
