Penn State Extension Master Watershed Stewards (MWSs) are trained, energized citizens in your communities who are available to help your municipality meet its regulatory obligations under the MS4 program.
Penn State Extension Master Watershed Stewards (MWSs) are trained, energized citizens in your communities who are available to help your municipality meet its regulatory obligations under the MS4 program.
Contact a Master Watershed Steward Program County Coordinator
MWSs are Extension volunteers who have completed formal training in water and natural resource conservation in classroom and on-the-ground settings. They have numerous programs and presentations to engage the public - homeowners, municipal staff, and community members - with information and resources essential to the success of your municipality's MS4 efforts. Master Watershed Stewards, as committed community-based dedicated volunteers, can be the foundation of a cost-effective, reliable MS4 program.
Master Watershed Stewards can help address three Minimum Control Measures:
- Public Education and Outreach
- Public Participation/Involvement
- Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (training in development)
The Master Watershed Steward program was created to educate and connect citizens to the water resource concerns in their communities. Meeting the obligations of the MS4 program is one of the most pressing and challenging concerns for municipalities and authorities. This complex task can be compounded if staff have little to no training or time available in this type of activity. Partnering with the county MWS program can be an effective step to using the resources of trained citizens to meet these EPA obligations.
Because Stewards accurately record their education efforts and the audiences reached, the program meets the MS4 requirement to track progress and effectiveness. Number and types of audiences, workshops and events carried out, and publications distributed are all among the metrics that regulators ask municipalities to track. The MWS program has measures in place to track all these and is ideally suited to work with municipalities that need this information readily available.
Public Education and Outreach
Presentations
Master Watershed Stewards present to many different types of audiences, including adults, school students, homeowners' associations, and municipal boards.
Available presentations cover a wide range of topics:
- Homeowners Guide to Stormwater Management
- Rain to Drain/Slow the Flow & Watershed Decisions
- Watersheds 101; Stormwater
- Native & Invasive Plants
- Riparian Buffers
- Plastic Pollution
- Rain Barrels
- Watershed Friendly Property Certification
Presentations may be done in classroom settings, virtually, and outdoor on-site presentations.
If your municipality would like a presentation on a topic not listed above, Master Watershed Stewards can collaboratively develop new materials.
Green Infrastructure
Collaborating with local resources, volunteers and our partners can design and install stormwater Best Management Practices, create educational signs, and assist with maintenance.
Best Management Practices Projects
- Rain Gardens
- Bioswales
- Stormwater Basin Retrofit
- Riparian Buffers
- Pollinator Meadows
Educational Displays and Publications
Master Watershed Stewards:
- Write articles for municipal website & newsletters
- Staff educational displays and lead activities at community events
- Organize and implement a Street2Creek project for storm drain stenciling
Public Participation/Involvement
Workshops
Master Watershed Stewards offer hands-on workshops to residents, where participants leave with BMPs to install at home such as:
- Rain Barrels
- Down spout planters
- Backyard Stream repair with live stakes and assessment (F.I.S.H)
Organizing Clean Ups
Master Watershed Stewards can work with municipalities to organize streamside cleanups, or litter clean ups and include educational materials on water pollution.
Water Quality and Erosion Monitoring
Master Watershed Stewards can involve local residents in water quality sampling. Stewards across the state work closely with a variety of regional and statewide programs, including directly with the Water Quality Bureau of the PADEP. Stewards can also organize bank pin studies to monitor stream erosion.
Residential Resources
Stewards can communicate with residents one-on-one to help with issues involving stormwater runoff, and can help provide accurate information on the maintenance of on-site stormwater management practices. With new developments often having individual practices on each property, this can be an important resource to ensure that stormwater facilities on home sites continue to function as intended.
The program can also provide information to residents wishing to convert lawn areas to meadows, or expand natural plantings.
Certification Program
The Watershed Friendly Property program is a new certification process that encourages Pennsylvania residents to 'make over' their lawn and yard areas in ways that are friendly to pollinators and help eliminate stormwater runoff. This program is paired with a number of informational resources and publications that, together, provide all kind of options for making lawns more stormwater-friendly.
Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination
Master Watershed Stewards will soon be given training that will give them the knowledge and skills to:
- teach members of their communities on how to recognize, report, and prevent these water pollutants from entering our local waterways
- learn how to locate, inspect, and report the conditions at stormwater outfalls in order to help municipalities detect illicit discharges in their communities
This training is still in development with a target launch in 2023.
Penn State Extension also offers a wide array of educational opportunities around Water Resources that may benefit your municipality. You can access ready to use videos and articles in our Stormwater Basics series, collaborate on a Safe Drinking Water workshop for private well owners in your community, or access our Municipal Staff Stormwater Training Courses for your office staff, public works crew, and more.
