Describe your local Public Education Program. Be specific on how you will distribute your educational information, and how you will conduct your annual event. Attach additional pages with the date(s) of your annual mailing and the date and location of your annual event.
For our annual distribution, we will mail the DEP brochure to our residents and businesses. The brochure will be distributed with our quarterly Township newsletter during the first quarter of the year. Extra copies will be available at the Township Library and at Town Hall. From time to time, additional educational materials from the programs described below will be mailed out with the newsletter.
We plan to use the storm-drain inlet-labeling project as one of our educational programs. The volunteers involved will learn about the importance of storm-water quality. Door hangers explaining the inlet-labeling project will be left at each house in the vicinity of the labels as they are applied.
We plan to develop Best Management Practices for washing vehicles. When developed, the BMPs will be used to educate township employees, local businesses, and residents on proper practices for washing cars and other vehicles.
We plan to add an educational-outreach component to car washes conducted by scouts and school groups. The Township will provide inlet protectors and environmentally friendly soap for use by the volunteers. The volunteers and customers will be educated on the importance of being concerned about what goes into the storm drains. Tips will be given on how to properly wash vehicles at homes and businesses.
We will encourage residents to minimize the use of pesticides and fertilizers. We plan to make soil-testing kits readily available and to pay the costs for residents to have their soil tested prior to lawn treatments. The quarterly newsletter will be used to explain the importance of this testing and to advertise the availability of the free testing kits.
Our annual event will be held each year as part of Cranbury Day. We will make the DEP brochure and other educational materials available at our table. The information on storm-drain inlet-labeling, car washing, and soil testing will be distributed. We will also use the event to publicize the results of our surface water-testing programs and other activities related to water quality. In addition, we will invite the Stony-Brook Millstone Watershed Association to set up their own booth during this event.
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