Problem Statement
The New River Valley MS4 permittees and Montgomery County Public Schools seek to develop interactive online content to meet permit obligations for MS4 public participation and provide content relevant to the Virginia Department of Education Standards of Learning (SOLs). The opportunities for close contact public participation events required under the General Permit for the Discharge of Stormwater from Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) are periodically limited by weather conditions or other unforeseen conditions, including current social distancing guidelines due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Development of an interactive virtual StoryMap is needed that can meet both MS4 permit requirements and provide curriculum content for use by Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) teaching staff. The primary goal is to create an interactive online learning tool to educate and assess middle school students in MCPS on watershed education. This must also satisfy the permit obligations for MS4 public participation and provide content relevant to the school system’s educational goals. Assessment will be necessary for the students in MCPS to complete in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the StoryMap. This report analyzes and evaluates different assessment techniques and comparing platforms for the StoryMap.
MS4 PermitMontgomery County is required to have a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit for urbanized areas to prevent the discharge of pollutants such as pet waste, trash, engine oil and fertilizers into waterways.
The Permit requires the County to develop a stormwater management program that demonstrates the County addresses 6 minimum control measures (MCMs). Our project will be focusing on MCM 1 & 2. MCM 1 Public education and outreach on stormwater impact MCM 2 Public involvement and participation |
Montgomery County Public SchoolsDue to COVID-19 restrictions many students in Montgomery County Public Schools will not have the opportunity to travel and learn about watersheds in their area. Our goal is to create a interactive and educational online platform that can be used to educate both middle school students and the Montgomery County Community.
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