The EFC and project partners at the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and  American Rivers have been working with a collection of MS4 communities in Blair County, Pennsylvania to support their efforts to address the demands of their stormwater permits and Chesapeake Bay pollution reduction plan obligations. The EFC developed a shared financing strategy to support staffing needs, installation of planned projects, and the operations and maintenance associated with project implementation. The plan is designed to create sufficient revenue to achieve full implementation over twenty years and to be equitable across the communities. The full report can be found here.  

In early March, the EFC hosted the final in a series of three workshops focused on implementing stormwater financing programs in Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay region. The workshops focused on the importance of leveraging innovative financing approaches as well as partnering for success to build political will and gain community acceptance for long-term solutions. Representatives from the City of Lancaster, PA attended to share ideas and to highlight how they have been successful in incorporating large-scale green infrastructure initiatives into their stormwater management program as a way to be more cost effective.  Most importantly, participants were able to share challenges and successes as well as to generate ideas on how to be successful in reducing stormwater costs over time.  Funding for this initiative was provided by the US EPA in partnership with the New England Environmental Finance Center, Save the Bay, and ESS Group, Inc. For more information, contact Brenton McCloskey.