Stenciling storm drains to help mitigate water pollution
Abstract
This effective practice details how to stencil storm drains in order to alert citizens that toxins dumped out into the street wind up in the nearest body of water. The material is excerpted from the Pollution Prevention Project Guide, created by Cairn and Associates from the Watershed Action Website. A link to the downloadable guide is included.
Issue
Making people aware on Earth Day and every day that polluting in the street has serious consequences, i.e., toxins wind up in rivers, oceans and streams because pipes carry untreated runoff directly to the nearest body of water.
Action
In Minnesota, students involved in service-learning have carried out the following service project successfully. Effective practices include:
Pick a site and get permission- Contact the city department of public works for a map of the storm drain system. (This map will clearly show the sub-watershed.)
- The city or watershed district may wish to target certain streets; however, it is best to avoid busy streets.
- Get written permission from public works to paint sites.
- Ask at least a few weeks in advance and be ready to explain liability coverage for students and teachers.
For each team of four to six students and one adult collect:
- Plastic stencil with appropriate message. ("Do Not Dump Drains to Lake/River," etc.) Cut out stencils in advance. The Conservation District or the city may pay for or have site-specific stencils.
- White paint. Ask public works to state a preference for either liquid (not oil-based) or high quality spray paint.
- If public works selects liquid paint you will need foam brushes/rollers. Be careful about spills, drips and smears (excess paint will seep under stencil).
- If using spray paint, highway paint lasts longest. Be careful about exposure to fumes and never use on a windy day. One can of paint will cover about twenty stencils.
- Alternately, check county hazardous waste program for used paint.
- Two or more neon orange traffic cones, three reflective vests, crossing guard flag, three pairs of safety glasses, and three pairs of rubber gloves.
- Stiff bristled broom, wire brush, and two plastic trash bags.
- Rags, masking tape, and lots of newspaper.
- One five-gallon bucket to carry kit into field.
- Collect completed permission slips.
- Tell students to wear old clothes that are white or other bright colors.
- Recruit one or two adults/high school students for each team.
- Identify the watershed and sub-watershed (A sub-watershed is a distinct part of a watershed, such as the area draining to one bay of a lake.)
- Do reconnaissance of sub-watershed. Include observations in flier.
- Explain that runoff in storm sewers flows to creeks, lakes and oceans.
- List things people can do to prevent pollution from going into storm sewers.
- Identify your group or partners.
- Make/copy enough fliers for each house on the block where the group will be stenciling.
- Think safety first!
- Wear visible clothes and reflective vests.
- Cross streets with crossing guard.
- Secure stenciling site with orange cones.
- Painters should wear goggles and gloves.
- A responsible person must watch for traffic and do nothing else.
- Weather must be above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, dry and, if spray painting, not windy.
- Practice spray painting on a piece of newspaper; it takes practice to learn to avoid smears.
- Two people should hold the stencil while one paints.
- Use too little paint rather than too much. (Using a sponge works better than a brush when using liquid latex paint.)
- Lift stencil carefully to avoid smearing.
- Spray down wind of people.
- Follow instructions on paint can.
- Pick best orientation for stencil: Place stencil down stream from opening. (Placing on curb or sidewalk will increase the life of the stencil.)
- If a homeowner does not want you to stencil by their property, move to another site.
- If needed, protect cars and signs with tape and newspaper.
- Paint pavement, not dirt. Sweep area. Wire-brush stubborn spots.
- Don't spill paint down storm drain! Clean up the site after you are done. (To clean dried stencils, freeze, then peel off paint.)
- Deliver fliers to houses.
- Make a map and record sites of drains painted and date completed.
- Calculate area of sub-watershed served by drains stenciled.
- Take photographs and send these to a local newspaper with an accompanying student-written story.
- From area reconnaissance, decide what other group projects people can do.
Context
The Metro Watershed Education Network is part of a Watersheds Initiative in Minnesota, and aims to educate youth, provide resources for teachers and assist communities. The Watershed Action site offers one-stop help in planning and organizing service-learning projects to prevent water pollution in neighborhood watersheds. This site offers everything from scientific background information and curricula, to local experts and stencils for painting storm drain signs. Since 1994, Cairn & Associates (responsible for content on the Watershed Action site) has helped hundreds of Minnesota teachers and youth workers to organize water quality protection projects involving thousands of students. Based on these experiences, the Pollution Prevention Project Guide (which includes the storm stenciling project) offers step-by-step instructions for how to organize some of the most popular projects. The guide contains detailed tips and ideas and can be accessed online and downloaded for free as PDF files. (See resource section on this page.)
The Center for Global Environmental Education (CGEE) at Hamline University (St. Paul, Minnesota) has been an internationally recognized pioneer in creating thematic learning projects for K-12 students around the globe. These have included Will Steger's 1990 Trans Antarctic Expedition, Africa Trek and Maya Quest, and Journey North. Other projects are the Rivers of Life, 1000 Friends of Frogs, Self Expressing Earth, Following Fall and the Watershed Action Web Site. These award-winning, multidisciplinary initiatives have evolved over the last decade to make the best use of today's telecommunications technologies as tools to support hands-on learning and stewardship of local environments. Classroom education is enriched through dialogue with renowned content experts, school-to-school networking, and online publication of creative work by students. These projects model inquiry-based, constructivist approaches to teaching and learning.
Outcome
As a result of the storm drain stenciling project:- Communities are educated about the dangers of dumping pollutants into the streets, storm drains and sewers.
- Students are educated and empowered to do more to help clean up their communities.
Posted On
April 13, 2004For More Information
Resources
Access the Pollution Prevention Project Guide from Cairn & Associates at the Center for Global Environmental Education.
Source Documents
Pollution Prevention Project GuideRelated Practices
Related sites
Center for Global Environmental Education
