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Friday, April 18, 2008
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Take note of your storm drains, Philadelphia.

They’re about to get decorated.
About 1,500 volunteers picked up materials from the Fairmount

Water Works Interpretive Center on Wednesday, and any day now they’ll be descending on the city’s 9,000 or so storm drains, affixing decals that read, “Yo! No Dumping! Drains to River.”

This year, the program garnered a huge response — a six-fold increase in volunteerism from last year.

The goal is to reduce stormwater runoff pollution and improper dumping of more than you could probably imagine.

After all, fish and other aquatic issues aside, someone is probably going to be drinking this water later, so they really don’t want it spiked with your old coffee, paint thinner, motor oil or … need I be more explicit about things like dog waste?

If you see a crew, ask for one of their tip cards, with information about stormwater runoff pollution affecting the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers.

The helpful hints are brought to you by the Philadelphia Water Department and the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary.


And everyone else in the region: Yo! Your storm drains empty to a river, too.

Posted by Sandy Bauers @ 5:29 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
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About Sandy Bauers
Sandy Bauers is the environment reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, where she has worked for more than 20 years as a reporter and editor. She lives in northern Chester County with her husband, two cats, a large vegetable garden and a flock of pet chickens.

GreenSpace - her column about how to reduce your carbon footprint in everyday life - appears every other Monday in Health & Science.

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