Help MountainTrue’s Southern Regional Office and Mike Huffman, the Stormwater Quality Specialist for Hendersonville make the city’s water healthier with the help of storm drain labels.  Mike will give a short lecture and demonstration about the tags at the beginning of the event, which will run from 10-1 on September 30.  RSVP with Regina Goldkuhl, MountainTrue’s Water Quality Administrator at wqa@mountaintrue.org to let us know you’re coming!

Storm drain marking is labeling a storm drain inlet with a written message reminding the public not to dump anything into the storm drain as it flows to local waterways.  Many people mistakenly believe storm drains empty to water treatment facilities, so they pour chemicals or sweep debris directly into storm drains. This dumping greatly increases the level of nonpoint source pollutants (leaves, soil, litter, fertilizers, pesticides, and street residues) already present in urban storm water runoff and can contribute substantially to a decline in water quality. More communities are working to reduce nonpoint source pollution by labeling storm drain inlets with messages warning citizens not to dump polluting materials.  The stenciled messages—usually a simple phrase like “No Dumping! Protect Our Water”—remind would-be dumpers and passers-by that the storm drains connect to local water bodies and that dumping pollutes those waters. In recent years, as states and local governments have learned more about how nonpoint source pollution degrades water quality, storm drain marking efforts have sprung up in communities across the country.