Erie County Municipal Stormwater Assistance Program

About the Program

Category: County Resiliency (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

The Erie County Department of Planning has developed the Erie County Municipal Stormwater Assistance Program to support our municipalities in meeting requirements of the NPDES MS4 permit. The Erie County Department of Planning (“ECDP”) staff spent several months working with municipal staff to understand their true challenges and barriers. This resulted in the development of the Erie County Municipal Assistance Program whereby ECDP provides assistance to municipalities in three areas: 1) GIS and Mapping, 2) Education and Outreach, and 3) Planning and Administrative Support. Because the approach took an honest look at the challenges of our municipalities, Erie County has an MOU with every regulated municipality to perform this work. As a result of our GIS and mapping services, our region is now collecting data in a centralized location to plan water resources according to watersheds and breaking down municipal boundaries. The department is building relationships with non-profits and partners drive this regional stormwater management program. As a result of the data collection and partnership building, stakeholders are more interested in data driven decision making that aligns with municipal priorities. In addition, multiple municipalities have approached the County regarding feasibility of a sustainable funding structure such as an authority.