AECOM has worked with the City of Appleton, Wisconsin to develop a stormwater management program for the City to improve water quality and reduce flooding issues within the City. Citywide Stormwater Management plans outlined a series of Best Management Practices (BMPs) that the City should implement to achieve improvements in water quality and reductions of flooding within the City. The location and design of these BMPs can be controversial, especially if the public does not understand the purpose. Therefore public involvement in the planning and design process is critical. Three case studies will be presented describing projects that went through the public involvement process, the hurdles and benefits, and the project outcome. The projects include BMPs: 1) where public participation played a key role in the success; 2) where public participation resulted in the project not being built; and 3) where public participation played a large role in shaping the planning and design. These case studies will be compared and contrasted to illustrate the importance of public participation in planning and design.