Franklin County marks Stormwater Awareness Week, highlights local action and programs

Franklin County commissioners on Oct. 7 heard a presentation marking Stormwater Awareness Week and were urged to take simple, local steps to reduce stormwater pollution.

Kyle Wilson, assistant director of the Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District, told the board that while large industrial discharges have declined since the 1972 Clean Water Act, stormwater runoff is an increasing source of pollution as urbanization and impervious surfaces grow. He described homeowner and community-level actions such as rain barrels, rain-garden cost-share programs and keeping leaves and litter out of streets as ways to reduce untreated runoff entering streams and rivers.

Nick Sulis, government affairs liaison for the Franklin County Engineer's Office, said the county works with partner agencies — including the Soil and Water Conservation District and Franklin County Public Health — to implement the county's municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) program. That program includes pollution‑prevention measures, monitoring, and treatment or removal techniques the county uses to control stormwater quality.

Wilson said the state has formally designated October as a stormwater awareness month (as noted in his remarks) and urged sustained public education and investments in green infrastructure to limit long‑term impacts. Sulis described the engineers' office role in reviewing development plans and drainage infrastructure to capture and treat stormwater before it reaches tributaries.

The presenters asked residents and property owners to limit common, avoidable sources of runoff pollution — for example, by picking up pet waste, keeping leaves out of storm drains, maintaining home sewage systems, and considering green infrastructure on private property. The county representatives said those steps, combined with municipal regulations and interagency coordination, help reduce the need for more costly restoration projects later.