8:30 AM - Louisville’s MS4 Program – How are Nature Based Solutions and Changing Our Environment
Lori Rafferty and Collete Easter

As the largest Phase 1 community in Kentucky, the Louisville and Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) is committed to be a leader in the state to promote safe clean waterways. MSD is committed to providing quality wastewater, stormwater, and flood protection services to protect public health and safety for the customers we serve in Kentucky. As part of our responsibilities, MSD is the water quality permit holder for Jefferson County and is permitted through the Kentucky Division of Water. The MS4 permit requires MSD to address nine minimum control measures: Public Education and Outreach, Public Involvement and Participation, Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination Program, Industrial Stormwater Program, Construction Site Runoff Control, Post-Construction Site Runoff Control, Good Housekeeping/Pollution Prevention, Monitoring, and Performance Assessment and Reporting. In addition to regulatory requirements of the MS4 permit, MSD continues to work with the state on 319(h) projects and currently has two active 319(h) grants. The first is for the addition of a watershed coordinator to implement the first urban Watershed Plan in Kentucky for Middle Fork Beargrass Creek. The other 319(h) grant is for the Mill Creek watershed.

This presentation will focus on the following efforts within the MS4 program:

• Overview of MS4 program
• Water Quality Long-Term Monitoring Network
• Training efforts, including MSD’s Internal Field Day and workforce development
• Education and outreach
• Watershed planning
• Integrating nature-based solutions
• Kort Springs basin retrofit

9:30 AM - Customer Relations
Celethia Neal and Cassandra Anderson

10:30 AM - Louisville MSD Education Programs Update
Erin Wagoner and Lori Rafferty

The Louisville and Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) is responsible for managing stormwater, wastewater, and flood protection services in Louisville Metro and tasked with providing safe, clean waterways for the community. MSD has a long-standing education program that supports the understanding of our vital role in the community, accomplishes Consent Decree and MS4 Permit Program requirements, and serves as a pipeline to STEM and clean water careers. In recent years, the program went virtual during the COVID pandemic with virtual tours of our three core services, and has been re- established with facility tours, a robust SummerWorks program, programmatic education events, and more. In FY24 alone, MSD staff had over 27 contact hours of facility tours with over 245 students and adults.

This presentation will explore the many ways that MSD programs and staff support education in our community, including:

• Education that supports the health and safety of our community
• Education programs and campaigns
• Programmatic outreach for regulatory programs