Storm Drain Tagging
What is Storm Drain Tagging?
You
can help protect our local streams, lakes, and wetlands. Butler County
needs volunteers to tag storm drains with a marker that says "No
Polluting , Drains To Local Waterways." Storm drain tagging is
a great community action project that raises public awareness about the
importance of keeping surface water clean and helps to significantly reduce
surface water pollution.
Everything you will need is provided free of charge. Volunteer groups
can stencil in their own neighborhood or ask for maps and a chosen location.
E-mail butlerswcd@butlercountyohio.org
or call (513) 887-3720 for more information about volunteering to stencil
storm drains, or look at the topics below.
The materials for these projects are provided by the Butler County Storm Water District.
How Simple is it to Tag a Drain?
Why is Storm Drain Stenciling Important?
Before the Storm Video Online, 14 minute movie from Indiana Department of Natural Resources. “How to” program on storm drain marking for municipalities, educators and local volunteer groups wanting to educate citizens about nonpoint source pollution and ways we can help protect our water.
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Families: Storm Drain Stenciling is a great family outing that teaches community involvement and helps the natural environment.
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Homeowner Associations: Stenciling the storm drains in your subdivision can help protect nearby rivers and ponds that you and your neighbors enjoy.
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School Groups: Classrooms can stencil the storm drains near their school as part of a water cycle unit.
- Scouting Groups: Boy and Girl Scouts can do Storm Drain stenciling with their troop as a service project.
- Service Organizations: Storm Drain Stenciling is great for Kiwanis, Rotary, Garden, Women's, Men's and other adult clubs looking for community service projects.
- Anyone else that is interested!: Contact us and we can suggest a location.
How Simple is it to Tag a Drain?
Contact Lynn White at the Butler SWCD for resources and to choose a location and date to do the storm drain tagging.
On the day of the event follow these simple steps:
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Using a wire brush, scrub the area of the storm drain that you plan to stick the marker on. Then dust the area clean. |
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Create a spiral shape on the back of the marker with the glue that is provided. |
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Stick to storm drain by pressing firmly. |
Why
is Storm Drain Stenciling Important?
Storm drains connect your property directly to nearby waterways. Living
on a city street is like living right on the waterfront. Everything that
washes down a storm drain from a yard or street winds up in local lakes,
rivers or streams – not the sewage treatment plant.
Many people think that water pollution is mostly caused by big business or large government facilities-places with pipes leading into the river. These are known as "point source" polluters. However, in recent years these sources have greatly reduced their negative impact on water quality. As a result, storm water run -off is now one of the leading causes of surface water pollution.
In comparison to big facilities with identifiable pipes ("point-source" polluters), run-off is a "non-point" source of pollution. That is, the ultimate source of the pollution cannot be identified. These pollutants are used on lawns, left on driveways and roads, and allowed to go down gutters into storm drains.
Pollutants that come from "non-point" sources include:
- Street litter
- Pet wastes and other debris
- Fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, yard waste and other lawn care residues
- Motor oil, gasoline, transmission fluid, anti-freeze and other substances that leak from cars onto driveways and parking lots.
Storm water pollution is also caused by illegal dumping, like pouring paint or oil into a storm drain. In fact, just one quart of motor oil can pollute 250,000 gallons of water!
As part of Phase II
of the Clean Water Act, cities, townships and municipalities are asked
to monitor and control the pollution that is released to waterways and
ground water. The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA)
recommends stenciling (tagging) under the new Phase II
Storm Water Rule requirements for
Public Education and Outreach, Public Participation/Involvement and Illicit
discharge detection & elimination.