The Think Blue Massachusetts campaign, launched in October of last year, features a yellow rubber duck as its mascot.

The Massachusetts Municipal Statewide Stormwater Coalition will be honored next month with a Stormy Award for its Think Blue Massachusetts campaign, a statewide effort to educate Massachusetts residents on the importance of combating stormwater pollution.

The award, given by the New England Stormwater Collaborative to recognize achievements in stormwater management, will be presented at a June meeting of the New England Water Environment Association in New Hampshire.

The Think Blue campaign officially launched at an event last October at an elementary school in Stoughton with Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Martin Suuberg and other state and local officials. (For more information about Think Blue, visit www.thinkbluemassachusetts.org.)

The Massachusetts stormwater coalition is chaired by Charlton Town Administrator Robin Craver, who also chairs the MMA Policy Committee on Energy and the Environment.

Another Stormy Award recipient will be Franklin Public Works Director Robert “Brutus” Cantoreggi, a member of the MMA Policy Committee on Public Works, Transportation and Public Utilities. He will be recognized for Franklin’s tree wells program. Tree wells collect stormwater runoff and filter out contaminants that might otherwise enter groundwater or public waterways. (For more information, visit www.soakitupfranklinma.org.)

The Think Blue campaign also received a recent round of grant funding from the MassDEP intended to help communities meet the requirements of the federal stormwater rules (MS4), which include public education. The $170,375 award will be used to expand the reach of Think Blue through video production, a statewide social media campaign, and print materials.

Stephanie Cooper, MassDEP’s deputy commissioner for policy and planning, discussed the agency’s stormwater-related grants and initiatives at the April 9 meeting of the Local Government Advisory Commission. She described the need for focused attention on stormwater management throughout the state, recognized Craver and the statewide stormwater coalition, and highlighted the $300,000 distributed by the department in March to multi-community stormwater groups.

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