Recognizing a need to better describe past, current, and future activities, the Coalition now has available for public viewing their Stormwater Management Program document. This document describes the full range of Coalition-wide Best Management Practices (BMPs) and Measurable Goals which together serve to address critical water quality issues at the local level here in Albany County. The public is strongly encouraged to read the document and share your comments. Stakeholder meetings can be arranged upon request.

The live, free webcast titled, “Customizing Your Stormwater BMP Design for Specific Pollutants” is this Wednesday, December 12, 2012, Noon to 2pm, at Cornell Cooperative Extension, 24 Martin Road. If you’d like to attend, please call or e-mail to reserve a seat: swcoalition@albanycounty.com or 447-5645. Engineers, landscape architects, contractors, planning/ZBA board members, municipal stormwater staff, and the general public are invited to attend!

Produced by the Center for Watershed Protection (CWP), this webcast was purchased by the Stormwater Coalition of Albany County as part of their public education and outreach program. See the attached flyer for details.

The live, free webcast titled, “Leaving You Out in the Rain-Design and Implementation of Monitoring Projects” is next Wednesday, October 24, Noon to 2pm, at the Pine Bush Discovery Center, 145 New Karner Road. If you’d like to attend, please call or e-mail to reserve a seat: swcoalition@albanycounty.com or 447-5645. Engineers, landscape architects, contractors, planning/ZBA board members, municipal stormwater staff, and general public are invited to attend!

Produced by the Center for Watershed Protection (CWP), this webcast was purchased by the Stormwater Coalition of Albany County as part of their public education and outreach program. See flyer for more information.

The Stormwater Coalition Board of Directors will meet on Friday, September 21, 2012, 8:30am to 10:00am, at the Village of Green Island Municipal Center, 19 George Street. Public welcome!

Produced by the Center for Watershed Protection (CWP) and purchased by the Stormwater Coalition of Albany County as part of their public education and outreach program, this is one of a series of free webcasts taking place at various venues in Albany County. For more information about this webcast series, see flyer.

Here’s what CWP has to say about this webcast:

“Recently, stormwater management has become dirty business, meaning that the dirt has a lot to do with the effectiveness of stormwater practices. There have been many innovations in the field of structural soils, soil amendments, and sophisticated soil mixes for bioretention—all for the purpose of enhancing stormwater treatment systems and/or targeting particular pollutants. This webcast will give you the dirt on the soil revolution and provide many practical design tips and resources.” 

Interested in attending? Contact swcoalition@albanycounty.com or call 447-5645. Space is limited!

The FINAL Stormwater Coalition 2012 Joint Annual Report is now available for the public. Readers are encouraged to contact either the Stormwater Coalition directly or their local MS4/municipality public contact for more information. Contact information is included in the Report. The Report is a snapshot of annual activities, presented in summary form, with information potentially confusing to individuals unfamiliar with the stormwater regulations. Your questions are welcome and encouraged!

By June 1, regulated MS4/municipalities must file with NYSDEC an Annual Report which describes progress over the past year implementing program requirements. As required by the MS4 Permit, prior to finalizing the report, a DRAFT Annual Report is made available to the public for comment.

The Stormwater Coalition 2012 Joint Annual Report describes collaborative activities related to public education and participation; and individual MS4 activities related to outfall mapping and reconnaissance, local law adoption and enforcement, construction activity oversight, and municipal operations.

The Annual Report itself is a standardized form developed by NYSDEC which can be explained in further detail upon request. Please use the website Public Comment interface to submit your comments, questions, and as needed, to request a meeting. The Public Comment period ends May 18, 4pm and the FINAL Joint Annual Report will be posted after June 1.

Eighty five municipal staff, planning board representatives, landscape architects, and engineers representing 12 municipalities participated in a day long green infrastructure workshop sponsored by the Stormwater Coalition of Albany County.

To quote participants, the program was  “…well thought out, coherent, and covered all aspects of the planning and implementation of green infrastructure…very relevant…excellent materials….good overview of green infrastructure opportunities…thank you for all the handouts…”.