WEF announces national MS4 award recipients

Six organizations have been selected to receive the Water Environment Federation’s (WEF) 2024 National MS4 Awards. These awards recognize Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) programs for their innovative stormwater and green infrastructure programming efforts.

WEF established the awards program in 2015 in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

The EPA implemented the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES) permit program in 1972 under the Clean Water Act. The NPDES was designed to help address water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants into the waters of the United States. The EPA requires MS4s to obtain an NPDES permit if they are:

• Owned by a public entity that discharges into U.S. waters
• Designed to collect or convey stormwater
• Not combined sewers
• Not part of a sewage treatment plant or publicly owned treatment works (POTW)

Under permit requirements, the MS4 must create a stormwater management program plan outlining practices that align with the permit to control stormwater and minimize the discharge of pollutants from their storm sewer system.

“Stormwater management is one of the most dynamic segments of the water sector,” said WEF Chief Mission Officer John Ikeda. “This year’s MS4 Award recipients demonstrate their ability to go above and beyond their permit requirements to help lead the way and set an example for managing stormwater around the world.”

Depending on their size, MS4s are designated as either Phase I or Phase II. The recipients of the 2024 MS4 Awards are:

MS4 Phase I Overall Category 
Anne Arundel County Maryland Department of Public Works, Bureau of Watershed Protectionand Restoration

MS4 Phase I Program Management Category 
City of Dayton, Ohio, Department of Water

MS4 Phase I Innovation Category 
Howard County Maryland Department of Public Works 

MS4 Phase II Overall Category 
City of Alexandria, Virginia

MS4 Phase II Program Management Category 
Detroit Water and Sewerage Department 

MS4 Phase II Innovation Category 
City of Kirkland, Washington

---

Source: Water Environment Federation