About the MS4 Guide

The guide was developed by the NEMO program at the UConn Center for Land Use Education and Research with funding from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). It is part of a broad outreach effort to provide guidance, training, tools and other support to help MS4 communities and institutions comply with the requirements of the new MS4 general permit. This is a living/evolving website. Materials will be added throughout the 5 year project period in response to permit timeline and community needs.

In addition to this website, NEMO is providing the following to MS4 communities & institutions:

  • MS4 Circuit Rider – Amanda Ryan is available to provide educational workshops, trainings and consultations with towns on MS4 topics.
  • MS4 listserv – An open, email forum for discussion of all things MS4. Sign up now at http://s.uconn.edu/CTMS4list
  • Webinar Series – A new webinar series will highlight different parts of the permit and resources and approaches to meeting them.
  • Hot Topics Workshops – NEMO will organize regional or statewide in-person workshops focused on the most vexing parts of the permit, including illicit discharge detection and elimination (IDDE), mapping, good housekeeping for public works, and other topics.
  • Mapping Training – CLEAR’s Geospatial Training Program will provide training and tools to help communities meet the new mapping requirements of the permit, including determining Directly Connected Impervious Area (DCIA).
  • MS4 mapping viewer on CTECO – A new MS4 viewer (collection of online maps) will be added to the CTECO website (http://cteco.uconn.edu) that will pull together statewide datasets relevant to the mapping requirements of the new permit.
  • High Resolution Impervious Cover Data – NEMO is working with an outside contractor to develop a statewide impervious cover mapping layer. The layer will be based on 2012 imagery to accommodate the “look back” period in the permit.

NEMO

NEMO (Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials) has been providing information, education and assistance to local land use boards and commissions on how they can accommodate growth while protecting their natural resources and community character since the early 1990s. The program was built upon the basic belief that the future of our communities and environment depend on land use, and, since land use is decided primarily at the local level, education of local land use officials is the most effective, and most cost-effective, way to bring about positive change. For more information, visit the NEMO website.