It’s raining today. It poured last night; the thunder woke me up. I had to get up and make sure I’d shut the patio doors.
A warm morning, dark sky, steady rain soaking into everything — it feels good after a stretch of hot, dry weather. It’s the kind of summer morning that makes it a lot easier to sit at your desk without feeling like you’re missing out on anything.
The rain cleanses. It washes away the grime. From my office window, I can see where the sand and pine needles that were in my driveway yesterday have been swept to the side.
Luckily I don’t have to worry about it doing any more damage than that. A lot of you aren’t so lucky. A colleague sent me a video of flooding in China the other day. The force of the water and the destruction it was causing was mesmerizing to watch.
Most of you will never deal with anything quite as ferocious as that. But plenty of you will deal with stormwater issues, and having the support and buy-in from your communities to do what’s necessary is a huge benefit.
This issue’s Human Side column focuses on the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District’s efforts to educate the community about the dangers of treating its stormwater system like a trash can. The creative campaign, anchored by four Halloween-themed public service announcements, has connected with customers and even earned the district a National Environmental Achievement Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies.
This month also marks Storm Water Awareness Week, a collaboration effort of the stormwater community that exists to provide an opportunity for earning continuing education hours free of charge. This event consists of dozens of online workshops hosted by presenters from across the country during the week of Sept. 21-25.
The basis of Storm Water Awareness Week is free education, and the workshops are the foundation. The workshops are completely virtual and all you have to do is sign up. Organizers will moderate, run the workshops and assist with any technical questions so attendees can simply enjoy the free education and networking opportunities.
Regardless of whether you attend, it’s a great reminder of the importance of good stormwater management, and an opportunity to engage your teams in discussion about your current efforts and anything they think might help you be more successful. That’s an objective this magazine shares with your utilities.
Enjoy this month’s issue.
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