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Danville outlines expanded stormwater outreach, inspections in annual report
Summary
City stormwater staff presented a first-year update on a growing municipal stormwater program, emphasizing public education, school outreach, basin inspections and a new partnership with Kentucky Watershed Watch.
City stormwater staff gave commissioners an annual report that emphasized public education, volunteer monitoring and increased construction-site inspections as the municipal stormwater program expands.
MJ Decker, Stormwater Program Coordinator, told the commission Danville is a Phase II MS4 community under the state permit system and described outreach delivered last year, including classroom watershed programs, rain-barrel workshops and a downtown clean sweep that involved 25 volunteers. “We’ve really focused on public education and outreach and public involvement participation,” Decker said.
Decker said Bluegrass GreenSource led youth education at multiple schools and that the city ran rain-barrel workshops at the extension office that quickly sold out. She reported 70 stormwater-basin inspections last summer that found 13 basins needing maintenance; nine have been completed and work on others remains ongoing. Decker said four post-construction plans were reviewed in 2024 and that construction sites disturbing more than an acre receive monthly inspections.
On citizen science, Decker said the city established a partnership with Kentucky Watershed Watch so volunteers can sample Clarks Run and Spears Creek and upload data to a statewide portal. She described planned steps after release of the new state permit and said the office expects two interns to start work in the coming month to expand water-quality testing and education materials.
Commissioners asked about contractor compliance; Decker said pushback has been limited and that enforcement has been used sparingly while staff increases inspection frequency. She introduced herself: “I am MJ Decker and I’m the Stormwater Program Coordinator,” and added that MJ stands for Maya Journey.
City staff said the program’s near-term focus remains public education and involvement, with the goal of improving long-term water quality across the city’s MS4 system.
