Helping Municipalities Meet MS4 Education & Outreach Requirements
This online toolkit is designed to help municipal staff, stormwater coordinators, and outreach teams meet MS4 MCM 1 education requirements. Use these resources to engage your community and promote stormwater best practices on social media.
Toolkit Highlights
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Pre-written Social Media Captions
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Ready-to-Use Graphics
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Step-by-Step Posting Instructions
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Metrics Tracking Templates
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Translation & Accessibility Tips
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MS4 Education Content Calendar
Use the calendar below for helpful content to plan posts that align with seasonal stormwater outreach themes. Each entry includes a topic, a sample caption, and a link to a corresponding graphic.
How to Use:
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Post at least once per quarter to meet minimum requirements
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Choose topics relevant to your community (e.g., leaf litter, yard care, pet waste, etc.)
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Add your town logo or local photo to personalize the graphic
Each campaign message includes:
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A short, easy-to-understand caption
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A downloadable graphic in square format (optimized for Instagram and Facebook)
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Optional hashtags like #ThinkBlueMA and #StormwaterMatters
Tip: If your community does not have a dedicated stormwater webpage, we recommend uploading one of the flyers from this toolkit to your municipal website. This allows you to track how many residents access the flyer, making it easier to measure outreach metrics for your MS4 reporting.
How to Share Stormwater Posts
Step-by-step instructions to publish your messaging on Facebook and Instagram using Meta Business Suite. Learn how to schedule posts, cross-post to Instagram, and reach more residents with your stormwater content.
How to Track Social Media Metrics
Simple guidance to measure the impact of your outreach. Learn how to find your post performance, record key metrics like reach and engagement, and compile data for MS4 annual reporting.
Translation Planning Quick Guide
Clear, inclusive communication is essential. This one-sheet helps you plan, budget, and review translations to make your outreach accessible for everyone in your community.
Add Your Seal or Logo to Any Flyer
Want to customize your outreach materials with your town seal or department logo? Follow our step-by-step guide to insert your branding in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
Tips for Success
Be Consistent
Posting regularly builds community awareness.
Keep it Simple
Use plain language and striking images.
Brand Your Posts
Add your logo or town name to graphics.
If you represent a community that has an MS4 permit, your permit requires you to "...implement an education program that includes educational goals based on stormwater issues of significance within the MS4 area. The ultimate objective of a public MA MS4 General Permit education program is to increase knowledge and change behavior of the public so that pollutants in stormwater are reduced."
The permit goes on to define the following four audiences for this required educational program:
U.S. EPA requires you to distribute two educational messages over the permit term to each of these audiences, spaced at least a year apart. The U.S. EPA explictly allows you to "...use existing materials if they are appropriate for the message the permittee chooses to deliver." The permits states that you "... may partner with other MS4s, community groups or watershed associations to implement the education program to meet this permit requirement."
Finally, your permit requires you "to show evidence of focused messages for specific audiences as well as evidence that progress toward the defined educational goals of the program has been achieved."
Think Blue Massachusetts offers pre-prepared materials that you can use to meet these permit requirements, along with guidance on how to provide evidence that you are making progress towards the goals of the program.
Sample NOI
If you want to use the Think Blue Massachusetts toolkit as part of your MS4 education and outreach, we have developed a suggested template (docx.) about what to put into your NOI.
How to Measure Your Outreach
If you are using the Think Blue Massachusetts toolkit for your MS4 education and outreach, here are tips on how to evaluate and measure your results.
Annual Permit Report Guidelines
If you intend to use Think Blue Massachusetts materials to meet your Year 1 MS4 stormwater permit requirements, here are guidelines on what you should be able to include in your annual permit report to the U.S. EPA.
Stormwater 101 PowerPoint Presentation
A PowerPoint presentation that explains the causes, consequences, solutions, and permit requirements related to stormwater for elected officials and town meeting voters. You will need to lightly customize the presentation to include information specific to your community.