• Community Rating System (CRS): The Community Rating
  System (CRS) Program is an effort by FEMA to encourage communities to improve stormwater and floodplain management.

• Flood Protection Maintenance:  MSD is responsible for maintaining the Louisville and Jefferson County Flood Protection System, which includes 29 miles of floodwall and earthen levee, 15 major flood pumping stations, 45 roadway gate closures and 20 sandbag street closures.  This system protects more than 110 square miles of the community from an Ohio River flood with an elevation that is 3 feet higher than the 1937 flood crest.

• Catch Basin Program:   MSD maintains more than 40,000 City and County drainage catch basins.

• Capital Drainage Improvement Projects:  MSD plans, designs and constructs capital drainage improvement projects throughout the stormwater drainage service territory.  From 1993 to 1998 more than 200 projects have been constructed for a total cost of $47 million.   From 1987 to 1992, this program provided more than 50 construction projects at a total cost of $25 million.  As part of this program, MSD is evaluating other areas and identifying needs and will recommend new projects to be funded in the future.

• Major Improved Ditches:  MSD maintains more than 130 miles of major improved ditches.

• Drainage Facility Maintenance:  MSD provides drainage facility maintenance and improvements which are not significant enough to be included in a capital drainage improvement project and which are based upon individual requests from our customers.

• Plan Review:   MSD reviews and inspects all new development within the service area.

• Stormwater Quality Program:  MSD administers the Stormwater Quality Program.  MSD has taken the initiative in meeting United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements for complying with a permitting program that reduces the pollution from stormwater runoff.  Under federal EPA water-quality regulations, MSD has been working with local government and private industry in developing programs to decrease the level of toxic materials, fertilizers and heavy metals in the stormwater runoff that pollute creeks, rivers and lakes.

• Wetlands:   MSD works with other agencies to develop a wetlands inventory for assisting the community in complying with federal regulations that are intended to protect wetland areas.

• Computerized Graphic Information System:  MSD has developed and now maintains a computerized geographic information system that was formed in 1985 to provide common, up-to-date computerized maps of practically every geographical feature in Louisville and Jefferson County — from airports and large buildings to individual streets, sidewalks, driveways, houses, sheds, manholes, ditches, catch basins, street lights, utility poles, elevations, fences and sanitary sewer facilities.  While much of the information was available before, it was scattered on thousands of paper maps and drawings that were stored in various County agencies.  MSD accomplishes this as a member of the Louisville and Jefferson County Information Consortium (LOJIC).   Until LOJIC, there was no single comprehensive source of current geographic information including all this data.

• Greenways Program:  MSD, in cooperation with Jefferson County and the City of Louisville, has developed the Louisville and Jefferson County Multi Objective Stream Corridor/Greenways Program. Greenways are generally regarded as a system of connected lands with a purpose of providing ecological and cultural benefits. Greenways are often located along creeks, streams and rivers, and connect places of interest within the community, such as parks, historic places, etc. Greenways have been used by communities to control flooding, improve water quality, protect wetlands, conserve habitat for wildlife, and as a buffer for development.

For more information, please contact: Steve Emly

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