Boys & Girls Club Storm Drain Marking, Eden, NC

June 19, 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Tiffany Haworth

(336) 627-6270

thaworth@danriver.org

KIDS USE SPRAY PAINT TO HELP KEEP OUR RIVERS HEALTHY

(Eden, NC)  Youth attending summer camp at the Eden Boys & Girls Club had the opportunity  to wield a spray can in the intersection of Henry and Washington Streets in Eden today.   The youth were participating in the Dan River Basin Association's (DRBA) Storm Drain Marking program which uses spray-painted stencils on storm drains to remind people that litter, debris and oil on the roads ends up in our local rivers and streams. 

DRBA's Storm Drain Marking programs starts with an interactive presentation about the value of storm drains and the consequences of allowing anything other than water to go down them. Youth learn that what goes into a storm drain flows directly into rivers and streams without being filtered and their drinking water also comes from the river.  Youth also learn about different types of pollution such as nonpoint and point-source pollution and brainstorm strategies on how to decrease the amount of pollution that ends up going into storm drains. 

With the permission of City of Eden's Public Works,  the youth get to go and spray paint a stencil onto a storm drain that reads "Dump No Waste, Drains to River."   DRBA provides all supplies necessary to do a storm drain marking project for free and makes the "Storm Drain Marking Kits" available to corporate groups, youth groups, nonprofits, families and clubs interested in doing a fun and unique project that also educates the community about the importance of healthy rivers and streams.

“This was a great opportunity for our kids to learn about how pollution can affect our waterways and drinking water," said Chris LaPrade, Program Director at the Eden Boys & Girls Club. "Also, they loved the chance to get out of the Club and help bring awareness to their community. We are excited to partner with the Dan River Basin Association and help in the important work they are doing in this community and others all along the Dan River.”

DRBA's Storm Drain Marking projects have occurred in Danville, VA, and other towns in Virginia. This is the first DRBA Storm Drain Marking program in North Carolina. 

"We are very excited to provide this special program in the City of Eden," said Tiffany Haworth, DRBA Executive Director. "I hope that the youth from the Boys & Girls Club will inspire more groups to come out and do a 'Marking Project' in Eden and other towns and cities in Rockingham County."

The City of Eden is planning on installing permanent medallions on select storm drains in the late Summer to remind people to make sure only water goes down storm drains.

"The work of these wonderful youth from the Boys and Girls Club today is a perfect launch for the City of Eden's Storm Drain Medallions that will be installed in the late summer ," said Cindy Adams, Director of Tourism for the City of Eden. "The more we can remind our citizens to keep litter and debris from entering our storm drains, the healthier our rivers will be for our citizens and visitors to enjoy."

DRBA also provides several other programs that citizens can do to help keep the rivers healthy such as Water Protector Certification, Kids4Rivers, Citizen Water Quality Monitoring and more.  

“I learned that it is very important not to litter because it goes into river and the water that we drink comes from the river," said Boys & Girls Club youth, Amonie, age 12, "It was fun because we got to do a physical activity.”

“My favorite part was that when we got to paint we let people know that the pollution runs into the water and we don’t want to drink the water that is polluted so we don’t get sick,” said Boys & Girls Club youth, Skylar, age 10.

To learn more about Storm Drain Marking and DRBA's other programs that protect and conserve our natural resources, visit www.danriver.org

The mission of the Dan River Basin Association is to promote and protect the natural and cultural resources of the Dan River basin through education, recreation, and stewardship.  DRBA works to fulfill that mission by building river accesses and trails, educating people of all ages about protecting our natural resources, and protecting our water resources through water quality monitoring efforts.  The Dan River basin is 3,300 square miles including sixteen counties throughout Virginia and North Carolina.  To learn more about DRBA and how you can protect our natural and cultural resources, visit www.danriver.org.

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