Stormy Award

Stormwater Division awarded Best Stormwater Idea in New England, 2024

Stormy Award

The New England Water Association (NEWEA) recognizes Hillary Waite, Stormwater Manager for Braintree, with the 2024 Best Stormwater Idea Award!

In 2024, we constructed a rain garden, a type of stormwater control measure (SCM). Following the construction of the project at Elder Affairs, we collaborated with an independent artist to visualize the flow of stormwater into the ground. The project's clever mix of art and science won Hillary the Stormy Award, showcasing the Division's commitment to public outreach and education.

The illustration, as well as an interactive Chronolog for biodiversity monitoring, are now permanent installations at Elder Affairs.

To see the project during construction, click here.

To see the project's location, click here.


Public Outreach

Public outreach is one of the biggest tools for municipalities to help keep their stormwater clean. With greater awareness of how the stormwater system works, residents like yourself are better able to identify, report, and even fix issues, like removing debris off a drain.

With this in mind, the Stormwater Division did a bilingual (Mandarin and English) outreach campaign about the rain garden, striving to reach as many residents as possible. Along with the illustrations, the campaign involved continuous public meetings and videos. You can find the outreach videos here.

Public outreach installation

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Chronolog installation

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