Another town along Highway 64 we stopped at was Lexington, North Carolina. Located about 20 miles south of High Point, North Carolina, Lexington is a small town in Davidson County. Here we spoke with Lexington’s Stormwater Division, a meeting with Zack McKenzie, their director. Asking him a variety of questions, we came to determine that the division’s role in Stormwater management and Stormwater education stretches far. 

Because Lexington is a town with MS4 permitting, it is bound by numerous requirements. With a strong focus on education, Lexington’s Stormwater division visits elementary schools to give them week-long lessons about the division. These visits educate local students on what stormwater is and the importance of stormwater. Education stretches to the community as well. At events, Lexington’s Stormwater Division collaborates with Lexington Uptown, another organization, to promote stormwater management during community events. One current idea to promote stormwater education is to collaborate with local schools and paint storm drains with reminders about water drainage. 

Tabling at events is another way in which Lexington’s stormwater division has been working to promote its work to the community. With the size of the department being smaller, it is sometimes a challenge to get the community to understand why they do certain things. For example, every year, Lexington hosts a barbecue festival. The stormwater division provides each booth with a potable water tank and block drains to prevent runoff from polluting the water. At first, community members were confused by these actions, but after many years of explaining and committing to this action, they are more open to these actions. Throughout the festival, the stormwater division consistently checks up on those tabling and ensures residents are still following protocol and protecting the water.

In as large a festival as this one is, the fact that there is still an emphasis on the protection of the waterways is fascinating. I had not thought that they would have any role in the festival. With actions like this, it is possible to see how any community hosting an event can take steps to protect its waterways. By taking this step, it is possible to get residents curious and wondering about what the department does. This community involvement is important for education. 
The division, when interviewing, told me how infrastructure can pose a challenge. For towns and communities struggling with older stormwater infrastructure, it might be difficult to maintain this system. We were told that a lot of funding and effort go into reinforcing the existing system and improving it. There is not as much in terms of resources or personnel for redeveloping an entire system. We were told it is easier to “bandage” the system rather than rebuild it. In a smaller community like Lexington, these systems are typically older. With increased rainfall and storms, these systems cannot adapt to the amount of rain and often fail. With less funding available, it is hard to revamp the entire system, so people are often left with a feeling that nothing is happening when it is.

Another idea that was spoken about was the idea of rain gardens. Often, people just see rain gardens as green space, with little to no context behind how important they are. They collect rain into a green space rather than it hitting the asphalt and causing flooding. Most people would not realize a rain garden has this potential. When speaking with the department, we were told that rain gardens are a great opportunity for education and information. Informational placards can be placed informing the general public about their purpose, while also providing green space in an area that may not have as much. 

Overall, the visit with the Lexington Stormwater department was great for learning the power and impact of education on people. It can provide them with information about stormwater they may not have known beforehand. Education can be provided in many forms, through many opportunities. Lexington’s Stormwater department spends a great deal of time focusing on educating the community and the public about these deals, and this could be a model for future communities on how to educate the public about these systems.