White Bear Lake Stormwater Meeting

Last night, a couple dozen citizens of the City of White Bear Lake came to City Hall to discuss their city's plan for stormwater management. The meeting was a joint meeting of the MPCA and the City of White Bear Lake -- the meeting was requested by citizens during the official public notice period during the city's Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System General Permit application process.

I was personally surprised to see so many White Bear Lake citizens show up for a discussion about stormwater on this particularly cold December night. But it was an important meeting, because citizens were able to discuss technical stormwater matters with the city's engineering staff.

This special-request public information meeting about Stormwater Pollution Preventiuon Plans (SWPPPs) was the first of its kind in this MS4 permit cycle, but others are expected.

This was my first off-site public meeting since I started at the agency and I was heartened to see people who had far more than a cursory understanding of stormwater management. This may change the way I approach public outreach.