Projects > Storm Drain Stencilling
Storm Drain Stencilling 2009
For
the third time in four years students from the Shapleigh Middle School
in Kittery located storm drains to paint a message that clean water starts
with each and every one of us. Since 2005 Kittery’s high school
and middle school students have stenciled nearly 200 storm drains with
the message about keeping stormwater clean but the difference this year
was a new graphic with a decidedly local connection. Instead of the borrowed
stencil used in previous efforts which said “Keep It Clean—Drains
to Creek”, the students spread the word that stormwater runoff “Drains
to Spruce Creek”. There is also a new website address for learning
more about stormwater control in the town of Kittery: www.savekitterywaters.org.
On Monday, June 15th, under the supervision of Shapleigh science teacher, Peter Cady, and adult volunteers from the Spruce Creek Association, student-volunteers applied the new stencil to a dozen stormdrains. Instead of the familiar rubber duck, each imprint now features swimming fish. The stencils were a gift from Mari Hoell, manager of the Tanger Outlet Center, to the Spruce Creek Association. This year’s stenciling activity is a part of SCA’s community education effort. Again this year, the paint, reflective vests, brooms, and traffic cones were supplied by Rick Rossiter and Kittery Public Works.
As for its long-term educational value for the students, Mr. Cady made it very clear: “Storm drain stenciling is a great activity for students because it builds ecological awareness in their own community. It leaves a lasting, pro-environment statement that they can point to and say, ‘I made that, and it's important.’ Our children can lead the charge to protect our local watershed.”
But in addition to students and the community at large, visitors to the Kittery malls will also be educated as the new stencils are placed in the parking lots of Route 1 businesses. Thanks to Ms. Hoell and Bob Adams of the Kittery Trading Post, catch basins at Tanger Outlets as well as KTP will remind parking lot users to keep stormwater runoff free of oil, gasoline, chemicals and litter as well as sediment and organic matter. Sending this message will help to raise awareness concerning stormwater pollution while at the same time promoting ways the public can help to reduce it.
Special thanks to our partners - all the students who helped out, their teacher Peter Cady, Mari Hoell and the Tanger Outlets, Bob Adams and the Kittery Trading Post, and Rick Rossiter from Kittery Public Works!
Storm Drain Stencilling 2007
Kittery
students and faculty, armed with spray paint, stencils and printed information,
fanned out across several residential neighborhoods over Wednesday and
Thursday (May 30-31) to deliver an important message: clean water starts
with you. One group of students also focused their efforts on two busy
Route 1 parking lots. Over a period of six-and-one-half hours, 47 students
from both Traip Academy and Shapleigh Middle School placed their message
on over 150 storm drains.
With the help of the Spruce Creek Association and the support of the Town’s Public Works Department, students stenciled the phrase “Keep it Clean – Drains to Creek [or ‘River’]” in an effort to educate the public and raise awareness regarding stormwater and the path it takes to receiving water bodies, in this case, Spruce Creek and the Piscataqua River. Juniors and seniors from teacher, Celeste Frisbee’s Coastal Resources classes and juniors in her Environmental Sciences class concentrated on the densely populated residential areas close to the high school, including Admiralty Village.
Members of teacher, Peter Cady’s sixth grade science class volunteered two hours of after-school community service time stenciling the storm drains in the Kittery Trading Post parking lot. They also met with Trading Post facilities director, Bob Adams who talked to them about the work his company has done to assure that stormwater on its property is managed and not allowed to run unchecked and untreated into Spruce Creek. The students stenciled 15 catch basin sites at KTP and then, after an ice cream break at Bob's Clam Hut, moved on to the neighboring parking lot at the Tanger Outlet Center. There, with the permission and support of Outlet manager, Mary Hoell, the students were able to paint an additional five storm drains. Ms Hoell is also, on behalf of her company, going to sponsor the purchase of new stencils by Spruce Creek Association for future projects.
Stencils used this week include the address of the ThinkBlueMaine.org website. The website describes how stormwater runoff can consist of oil, gasoline, chemicals, and litter, as well as sediment and organic matter, such as leaves and lawn clippings. This overload of pollutants has a negative impact on aquatic life and the overall nature and recreational appeal of the water body.
Storm Drain stenciling is a popular, nation-wide, public awareness initiative arising from the result of new stormwater regulations. Twenty-eight communities in Maine have become subject to the Phase II Stormwater Regulatory Program, which regulates stormwater discharge from small municipalities. Part of the regulation requires the use of public education to raise awareness concerning stormwater pollution while at the same time promoting ways the public can help reduce it. The Town of Kittery is subject to the new regulation.
Special
thanks to our partners - all the students who helped out, their teachers
Peter Cady and Celeste Frisbee, Bob Adams and the Kittery Trading Post,
Mari Hoell and the Tanger Outlets, Michael Landgarten and Bob's Clam Hut,
and Rick Rossiter from Kittery Public Works!
Storm Drain Stencilling 2005
Many of the storm drain areas in Kittery are now sporting snappy
new storm water awareness slogans thanks to 20 students from both Traip
Academy and Shapleigh Middle School. All were involved in a school-centered
activity organized and supervised by Aquarion Engineering Services. Aquarion
is the company currently working with the Town of Kittery to help in its
compliance with the new Phase II Stormwater Regulatory Program (for more
information visit http://www.maine.gov/dep/blwq/docstand/stormwater/).
On
Monday June 6th members of the junior class at Traip Academy stenciled
storm drains in the vicinity of the high school as a finale to teacher,
Celeste Frisbee's Environmental Issues Class. Then, on Thursday, June
9th sixth graders from teacher, Peter Cady's science class at Shapleigh
Middle School stenciled storm drains in the Admiralty Village area as
an after school volunteer activity. The Traip students used a stencil
with the phrase "Keep it Clean – Drains to River" - referring to
the Piscataqua - while the Admiralty village group's stencil, used within
the Spruce Creek Watershed read, "Keep it Clean – Drains to Creek".
In all, 30 storm drains now have the colorful new slogans.
Polluted runoff is the major polluting agent affecting Spruce Creek and the Piscataqua River today. When it rains the storm water carries each of our motor oil, yard chemicals, fertilizers, etc. into our water bodies.
Read more about the stenciling: http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/06112005/maine/47094.htm and http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20050610&Category=COMMUNITY01&ArtNo=106090132&Ref=AR. For more information on storm water and the things we can all do to keep Maine's waters clean, visit http://www.ThinkBlueMaine.org.
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