STORM DRAIN STENCILING

Description:

Educate your community about storm water pollution by stenciling the message, "Dump no waste - Drains into our Mississippi" (or your local river, lake, estuary, etc.), on each of your storm drains. You will also want to create and distribute fliers or submit editorials to your local papers that educate the community about storm water pollution and the stenciling activity.

Objectives:

By participating in this activity your group will:

1. Learn about the sources of storm water pollution.

2. understand why storm water pollution is a threat to the environment.

3. Stencil messages on storms drains to encourage others to be more aware of storm water pollution.

Time:

It will take about one hour for each team of 4-6 people to stencil 15-20 storm drains.

Age:

This is a good activity for volunteers ten years and older.

Cost:

You will need to purchase or borrow all of the required supplies. Local businesses and agencies may be able to provide materials such as paint, brushes, garbage bags, traffic cones, and safety vests.

Materials (for each 4-6 person group):

• 1-2 stencils

• fliers

• A map of the stenciling area

• Parent/guardian permission slip

• Authorization for the stenciling from City Hall or the Department of Public Works

• 2 cans of spray paint, preferably inverted tip white traffic zone latex paint (one can should paint approximately 15 drains)

• A wire brush to clean site before painting

• 2 pairs of work gloves

• 1-2 orange safety vests

• Garbage bags

• Traffic cones for busy streets

• bricks or duct tape to hold down stencil while painting

Background:

Why should people be concerned about what enters a storm drain? Anything that is flushed drown a storm drain may not treated before it reaches a river, lake, or estuary. Or the untreated materials go to a treatment facility and increase the cleaning that must be done. This means that oil, antifreeze, paint, grass clippings, household waste, pet waste, or any other waste on the streets and sidewalks could go directly into a nearby river, lake, or stream.

The next time you wash your car on your driveway consider where the water goes. The soapy, dirty water runs down the street into the storm sewer. The sewer carries the wash water to a water body. In the water the soap acts like a fertilizer for aquatic plants and causes too much plant growth, which creates problems for fish.You can help increase awareness of the storm drain connection. Educate your community about storm water pollution by stenciling the street next to storm drains and distributing flyers or door hanger cards.

Before you stencil:

1. Obtain permission. Get permission to stencil storm drains from the Department of Public Works in your city, village or town. Be sure to ask for a letter of authorization to provide you with proof if you are questioned by a road crew or police officer.To stencil on private property, contact the landowner or homeowners association, whether the property is a home, business, or apartment complex.

2. Keep weather in mind. Weather conditions are important for the success of the project. You should choose a day when the pavement is dry and warm. Windy days are not good because the paint spray can drift onto nearby automobiles and debris can be blown onto painted surfaces. Wind also blows the stencil as it is carried around and increases the chances of getting paint on the volunteer.

3. Divide up the area. Using a neighborhood map, carefully consider the area your group will stencil. Divide the area into routes and assign a team to each route. A circular route works the best and brings the teams back to the beginning point or a parked vehicle.

4. Notify the neighborhood. A day or two before you plan to paint, distribute information cards or fliers explaining the stenciling program. If you can't distribute the information ahead of time, have one or two team members distribute the cards and fliers while the others paint.

5. Clean as you go. Bringing along garbage bags and picking up litter while you move from one set of drains to another makes the effort two fold. The removed litter will not find its way into the storm water system so you are helping the water system in two ways.

How to stencil:

1. Scrub around the drain. Scrub the street area where you will paint with a wire brush and collect any debris in the garbage bags. Do not sweep into the storm drain! Place the stencil as high as possible off the street. Salt, street cleaners and traffic will reduce the paints life expectancy.

2. Put the stencil in place. Position the stencil close to the storm drain inlet where the message will be most visible. Place bricks on or tape down the stencil to hold it in place.

3. Paint away! Spray paint the message making sure the paint doesn't get into the storm drain. Two light coats work better than one heavy coat. Allow the first coat to dry before applying the second coat. The message should last for several years on a paved surface.

4. Check for missed drains. When you're done with the project, have one team members check that all storm drains in your area have been stenciled. It's easy to miss one! Keep a count of the drains