Public Education & Outreach 

Public Education and Outreach is one of the six Minimum Control Measures (MCMs) required of the City's Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit.  The goal of the Public Education and Outreach MCM is to build greater support for the stormwater management program (SWMP), increase compliance, and ultimately increase environmental awareness amongst all members of our community.

The City manages a comprehensive stormwater program to address stormwater pollution to help us ensure we have clean water today and for generations to come.

Why is clean water in Old Hickory Lake and the Cumberland River good for the City of Gallatin?
  • It is our Drinking Water Source
  • It provides countless Recreational opportunities – kayaking, swimming, boating
  • It provides world class fishing & hunting
  • It brings tourism $
  • It provides water for industry 
  • It provides transportation routes for commerce
  • It attracts new homeowners
  • It provides for wildlife

Did you know?

The City of Gallatin is home to  the State Endangered Streamside Salamander. The Streamside Salamander likes to breed during the winter months and can be found in small, seasonal streams from December through June.  Salamanders eat insects, spiders, worms and other aquatic critters including nuisance slugs mosquito larvae and flies. Salamanders also serve as an indicator species for environmental stressors.   Conservation of our native species is another reason why we try to minimize stormwater pollution.

streamside salamander

What is Stormwater? 


​Precipitation or melted snow that flows over the land...
Sw on roof

…plus anything that is carried with it.
collage pic

Stormwater runoff is generated from rain and snowmelt events that flow over land or impervious surfaces, such as paved streets, parking lots, and building rooftops, and does not soak into the ground. The runoff picks up pollutants like trash, chemicals, oils, and dirt/sediment that can harm our rivers, streams, lakes, and coastal waters. To protect these resources, communities, construction companies, industries, and others, use stormwater controls, known as best management practices (BMPs). These BMPs filter out pollutants and/or prevent pollution by controlling it at its source.

Population growth and the development of urban/urbanized areas are major contributors to the amount of pollutants in the runoff as well as the volume and rate of runoff from impervious surfaces. Together, they can cause changes in hydrology and water quality that result in habitat modification and loss, increased flooding, decreased aquatic biological diversity, and increased sedimentation and erosion. The benefits of effective stormwater runoff management can include:

  • protection of wetlands and aquatic ecosystems,
  • improved quality of receiving waterbodies,
  • conservation of water resources,
  • protection of public health, and
  • flood control

Public Outreach & Education Events


The City of Gallatin’s Stormwater Program participates in many different public education and outreach events in the City and throughout the Middle Tennessee Region. We want to spread the message on the importance of clean water to our community! 

Past Events:

September 24, 2019:Benny Bills Elementary School Creek Critters Program

Creek Critters is an interactive educational program for youth, where Cumberland River Compact and the City brings the creek to the students! The goal of the Creek Critters program is to get kids interested in science and in our precious water resources at a young age.

September 18, 2019: City of Gallatin Employee Health & Safety Fair.

September 7, 2019: Green Wave Community Clean Up

August 20 & 21, 2019: Station Camp Elementary Creek Critters Program. All 4th graders (171 students) participated in this classroom experience. 

Creek Critters is an interactive educational program for youth, where Cumberland River Compact and the City brings the creek to the students! The goal of the Creek Critters program is to get kids interested in science and in our precious water resources at a young age. 

August 14, 2019: Contractor & Engineer  Workshop on City of Gallatin Stormwater Requirements

July 19, 2019: Cumberland River Compact's Waterfest

June 4, 2019: Shalom Zone Environmental Day Camp: Lots of fun with these kids every summer! Recycling derby, planting a seed, and arts & crafts!

May 18, 2019: Boy Scout Pack 425 Adopt-A Stream Cleanup on Town Creek in Triple Creek Park. 

The Pack picked up 240 lbs of trash!

May 9, 2019: Vena Stuart Career Day

April 20, 2019: Bledsoe Creek State Park Earth Day Event. 

The kids painted a Rain Barrel and donated to the Park for its pollinator garden!

April 13, 2019: Station Camp Stream Clean-Up 

45 Volunteers and picked up 1,500 lbs of trash! Thank you to Starbucks of Gallatin for Adopting this section of stream!

March 7, 2019: Engineering: Guest Readers at Union School Elementary

November 30, 2019 - Howard Elementary School - Creek Critters Program

Cumberland River Compact brings this traveling program to schools in the Cumberland River Basin. We are so fortunate to have them come to our elementary schools in Gallatin! 

The Creek Critters program involves interactive lessons and demonstration to teach kids about water resources and aquatic ecosystems. As part of this, kids are given the opportunity to see real aquatic organisms collected from a local creek!

November 17, 2018 - Rogers Field - Station Camp Creek Fall Clean-Up. 

Over 80 people joined us on a crisp and cool Saturday morning for a cleanup around Rogers Field and along Station Camp Creek. Even a few kayakers picked up trash from the waterway! 2,650 lbs of trash were picked up in 3 hours!

October 2, 2018 - Station Camp Elementary School Career Day 

City of Gallatin Engineering staff discussed and explored careers in Engineering and Science with K-2nd graders.

September 26, 2018 - Vena Stuart Elementary School - Creek Critter Program 

Cumberland River Compact brings this traveling program to schools in the Cumberland River Basin. We are so fortunate to have them come to our elementary schools in Gallatin! 

The Creek Critters program involves interactive lessons and demonstration to teach kids about water resources and aquatic ecosystems. As part of this, kids are given the opportunity to see real aquatic organisms collected from a local creek!

September 18, 2018 - Union STEM Elementary Creek Critter Program 

Cumberland River Compact brings this educational  program to schools in the Cumberland River Basin. We are so fortunate to have them come to our elementary schools in Gallatin! 

The Creek Critters program involves interactive lessons and demonstration to teach kids about water resources and aquatic ecosystems. As part of this, kids are given the opportunity to see real aquatic organisms collected from a local creek!

August 18, 2018 - 6th Annual Urban Runoff 5K and Water Quality Festival, Cornelia Fort Airpark, Nashville, TN

June 21, 2018 - Shalom Zone Summer Camp.

April 21, 2018 Green Wave Neighborhood Clean-Up

Gallatin Beautification Committee organizes a cleanup event every fall and spring. We had 72 volunteers and picked up 640 Lbs of trash.

April 7, 2018 - Station Camp Greenway Cleanup - Cumberland River Compact, City of Gallatin and Sumner County teamed up for a Creek and Greenway Cleanup! We had 72 volunteers come out on a cold and wet Saturday morning and we picked up 640 Lbs of trash!

March 8 & 9, 2018 - Union STEM Elementary School Rain Garden in honor of Mr. David Collins. University of Tennessee, Sumner COunty Extension Office, Obed Watershed Association and City of Gallatin designed and built a rain garden and taught Union School Children about the benefits of rain gardens for water quality.

November 2, 2017 - Union STEM Elementary Engineering Day

Fall 2017 Union Elementary Engineering Day
Urban Runoff 5k Participants

August 26, 2017 - Nashville Urban Runoff 5K & Water Quality Festival - Shelby Park, Nashville

July 21, 2017 - WaterFest Moss-Wright Park, Hendersonville, TN

May 6, 2017 - Clearview Neighborhood Clean Up

 May 4, 2017 - Career Day -Vena Stuart Elementary School

March 4, 2017 - Arbor Day Tree Planting

October 22, 2016 - Lock 4 and Woods Ferry Clean Up along Old Hickory Lake