Volunteer storm drain-marking program launched in Charleston area

Published: September 22, 2010

Ashley Cooper Stormwater Education Consortium image by: Ashley Cooper Stormwater Education Consortium

CHARLESTON — To help educate the public about the environment risks of pollutants washing into storm drains, the Ashley Cooper Stormwater Education Consortium has launched a voluntary storm drain-marking program in the Charleston area.

The goal of the program, based on similar national and regional initiatives, is to inform people that storm drains and ditches are part of a large system that funnel into surface waters, not treatment plants, said David Joyner, regional coordinator of the Ashley Cooper consortium. 

In other words, what goes down storm drains ends up in waterways — and affects everyone’s quality of life.

“The stormwater awareness campaign aims to make connections between our actions on the land and the health of our waterways,” Joyner said. “These actions are connected via the watershed and the storm drain system."

Groups interested in participating in the program should contact Angela Crouch, an Extension agent at the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service in Charleston County and regional coordinator of the storm drain-marking program, at 843-722-5940 or acrouch@clemson.edu to arrange a kick-off meeting. 

The regional effort is a wonderful way for groups to get involved in their community and provide a long-term educational resource to remind the public that stormwater flows to our waterways, Crouch said.

Each volunteer group will be provided a storm drain-marking kit that includes markers and adhesives, safety gloves, safety vests, a first aid kit and cleaning equipment, among other items.

Over the last year, the program has been piloted in neighborhoods such as Park Circle and Horizon Village in North Charleston and Yeamans Hall in Hanahan.

The volunteer storm drain-marking program is limited to residential neighborhoods. Groups wishing to participate must obtain permission to install the markers from the appropriate neighborhood authorities. 

The Ashley Cooper Stormwater Education Consortium is Carolina Clear’s stormwater pollution education and awareness initiative in the Lowcountry.

The Environmental Protection Agency emphasizes public education as a fundamental component in reducing stormwater runoff pollution. The EPA and the state of South Carolina require that 73 municipalities and counties in the state educate and involve the public as part of the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System stormwater permit program. 

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Carolina Clear
Carolina Clear is a stormwater education and awareness program of the Clemson University Restoration Institute and the Center for Watershed Excellence. The program’s goal is to minimize polluted stormwater runoff by educating the general public, youth, builders, developers, homeowners and government officials about how they can keep water in the state’s streams, rivers and basins as clean as possible.