🌊Stormwater Intel Ops

A High School Stormwater Education Program


For Grades 9-12 | A Gateway to STEM, Environmental Literacy & MS4 Community Engagement


Central Focuses:

Stormwater Intel Ops challenges high school students to transform data into action. Through real-world mapping, investigations, engineering design, and policy writing, students build technical skills, critical thinking, and leadership capacity — all while fighting to protect clean water for their communities.


Narrative Theme:

The Baron is manipulating Watershed City's urban infrastructure to conceal pollution events — and the Degraders are running rampant. Students must step in as elite Stormwater Defenders, gathering data, investigating stormwater systems, analyzing pollutants, and deploying the right strategies and BMPs to stop pollution before it spreads.

Overview:

Stormwater Intel Ops is not just a course — it's an environmental operations mission.


Designed for high school students ready to take their scientific and engineering thinking to the next level, this program challenges learners to apply real-world stormwater management practices through investigation, analysis, and action-based solutions.


Students collaborate with Vax, Super Sampler, and Chito-Man as they map urban runoff, inspect stormwater assets, track hidden pollutants, and design real BMP solutions. Every module builds critical technical skills while inspiring civic responsibility and environmental leadership.


Key Features:



  • Authentic Real-World Application: Students practice GIS mapping, runoff calculations, pollutant analysis, infrastructure inspection, and hydrology-based design challenges.


  • STEM-Driven Projects: Engage in engineering-based tasks, simulations, and policy proposal writing — building true problem-solving and design skills.


  • Critical Thinking & Strategy: Analyze fictional and real-world pollution scenarios, identify risks, and propose evidence-based BMP solutions.


  • Career Pathways: Exposure to environmental and engineering careers through project work, senior projects, and community engagement.


  • Leadership Development: Students build skills that position them as community leaders and environmental advocates.


Stormwater Intel Ops empowers young adults to go beyond the classroom, preparing them to think, design, and lead in a world where clean water stewardship matters more than ever.

Educational Value:

Stormwater Intel Ops mission pack supports a variety of academic standards and educational priorities, making it a versatile and powerful addition to any high school program.

Common Core and NGSS Alignment


Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS):


  • HS-ESS3-1 & HS-ETS1-3: Students analyze human impact on Earth's systems and design technological solutions to minimize environmental degradation. 


  • HS-ESS2-2: Students examine Earth's systems interactions - including human infrastructure and natural hydrologic processes.



  • HS-ETS1-2: Emphasis on evaluating competing design solutions for real-world environmental problems.

Common Core State Standards (CCSS):


  • Research and Argumentation: 
  • Students research pollutant types and BMPs, then write and present proposals - reinforcing technical writing, critical analysis, and public speaking.


  • Mathematical Reasoning:
  • Activities like runoff mapping, soil erosion calculation, and detention basin sizing integrate real-world math and measurement.


  • Collaborative Problem Solving:
  • Group-based simulations and engineering design challenges build communication and teamwork skills.

STEM Integration:

Science -  Understand hydrology, pollutant behavior, and ecological impacts.


Technology -  Use GIS and mapping tools to analyze landscapes.


Engineering -  Design stormwater infrastructure and BMP solutions.


Math - Perform calculations for runoff volume, erosion, and infrastructure design.


This is experimental STEM education at its best - giving students the chance to engineer, create and innovate.

MS4 Compliance Support:

The Stormwater Intel Ops mission pack directly supports MS4 permit public outreach by:


  • Teaching how stormwater systems operate and require maintenance.


  • Educating about pollutant sources and control measures.


  • Engaging students in civic action through public awareness campaigns like stencil programs.


  • Encouraging stormwater management engagement and senior projects tied to community stormwater improvements.


Students leave with the understanding and skills needed to actively support local stormwater efforts — a major advantage for MS4 outreach teams and municipal partners.

What's Included in the Mission Pack:

Category Item Description
Teacher Tools Full Teacher Curriculum Lesson plans, enrichment links, and activity guides
Editable PowerPoints Ready-to-use instructional slides.
Senior Project Ideas Suggestions for final projects tied to real-world engagement.
Community Engagement Activities Including "Adopt a Drain" and public awareness initiatives.
Stormwater Defender ID Card Personalizable badge for every student.
Activities & Exercises Operation Site Scout Map your schoolyard's stormwater system like a real stormwater investigator!
Asset Intel Identification Identify stormwater structures, decode their functions, and build your stormwater system expertise.
Rainfall Recon: Basics of Hydrology Use real-world data to design detention basins that capture and control stormwater flow.
Mission: Stop the Degradation Analyze different types of pollutants and trace them back to their villainous Degraders.
Erosion Mass Mission Calculate soil loss from the landscape using real-world erosion science (RUSLE Rule).
Urban Runoff Intel Mapping Map impervious surfaces around your school and discover how cities change water flow.
BMP Case Crackdown Solve pollution case files by proposing smart BMP strategies to stop the spread.
Engineering Ops HQ Team up to design stormwater infrastructure that defends the environment against pollution attacks.
Degrader Profile Hunt Match each Degrader villain to their pollution signature and learn how to stop them.
Investigation and Monitoring Training Train like a professional inspector: assess stormwater risks and complete a field report.
Career Launchpad Explore exciting careers like water engineers, GIS analysts, and stormwater inspectors and find your future!
Start a Ripple of Change Craft real stormwater improvement proposals that could help change your community.
Stencil Strikeforce Create bold public awareness art to remind everyone that only rain belongs down the drain!
Battle Scene Buildout Dream up new Defenders or Degraders and imagine epic environmental battles on the land.
Family Engagement Take-home Tip Sheet Family-friendly summary of what was learned and how to support it at home.

Your Gateway to Adventure: Interactive Digital Headquarters Access!

By joining Stormwater Intel Ops, students unlock classified access to the Stormwater Defenders Headquarters — a cutting-edge digital environment where future water defenders are trained for action.


Inside the Headquarters, students travel through specialized stations that sharpen their investigative skills, deepen technical knowledge, and build strategic thinking — all while preparing to outsmart The Degraders.

Here's the Journey Your Students will Embark on:

🎥 Mission Briefing Room: Importance of Water Video
Start with RH’s critical briefing explaining what’s at stake in the battle for clean water — and why it’s a mission worth accepting.


🎶 Anthem Hall:
Rally with the Stormwater Defenders Anthem, inspiring students to step into leadership roles with pride and energy.


🦸 Field Agent Assignment: Which Defender Are You? Quiz
Take the identity scan to find out which Defender’s skills best align with your natural strengths — and your mission specialty.


🏛️ Sarge’s Asset Defense Lab:
Analyze bioretention strategies and permeable paver designs — critical for urban water management systems under siege.


🌋 TARP’s Terrain Risk Room:
Learn how erosion can destabilize landscapes and how engineering solutions create stronger defenses against land degradation.


🧪 Super Sampler’s Hidden Pollutant Lab:
Dive deep into unseen threats — tracking pollutants that can’t be seen with the naked eye and uncovering new technologies for their removal.