Emily Scerbo: A Northeast Stormwater Leader
Vice President Emily Scerbo, PE, has dedicated her career to helping Northeast communities navigate stormwater regulations. Combining her knowledge of the MS4 General Permit requirements with technical engineering expertise, Emily has been instrumental in guiding municipalities through the process of building sustainable and effective stormwater management programs and watershed-based plans to improve water quality.
She partners closely with local leaders to understand their fiscal and operational challenges, tailoring solutions that not only meet regulatory requirements but also make sense for each community’s unique needs. Through this hands-on, collaborative approach, she’s helped towns and cities take meaningful steps toward protecting the health of their citizens, local waterways, and infrastructure.
Emily has worked with municipalities to shift their approach from reactive stormwater compliance to proactive stormwater planning and asset management. This work often involves creating stormwater utilities – dedicated funding mechanisms that provide long-term financial stability for drainage maintenance, flood prevention, and water quality improvement projects. By developing practical tools and facilitating public workshops, Emily has empowered communities to understand their systems, build consensus, and take ownership of their infrastructure.
Her expertise in structuring these programs has allowed towns to fund stormwater improvements that strengthen their infrastructure throughout its life cycle, providing future resilience to protect against severe storms. This results in cleaner local waterways, reduced flooding, and stronger, more sustainable municipal programs.
Many communities are also seeing a shift in awareness that stormwater management is a vital public service that protects both people and the environment. With Emily’s guidance, many towns have built teams trained to inspect drainage systems, enforce local stormwater rules, and communicate with residents about how their actions affect local water quality. Her leadership has not only improved compliance but also fostered a sense of environmental stewardship and community pride, demonstrating stormwater management’s role in building community resilience.