Storm Drain Stenciling - South Carolina "Paint The Drain" Campaign

Goose Creek Kids Kick Off Storm Drain Stenciling       On April 24, students from Peer Power, a community service club at Marrington Middle School in Goose Creek, initiated the Paint the Drain Campaign in South Carolina. Wearing their oldest blue jeans and armed with cans of yellow spray paint, the group painted messages on storm drains in the Foxborough area of Goose Creek, educating citizens on how they can help prevent nonpoint source pollution (NPS).

The messages read, “Don't Dump! Flows to Ocean” and “Dump No Waste! Flows to River.” This effort is part of a statewide program called the S.C. Paint the Drain Campaign co-sponsored by S.C. Sea Grant Consortium, Clemson Cooperative Extension, and SC Department of Health and Environmental Control. By recruiting volunteers to paint messages on storm drains, the program hopes to inform the public that what goes down storm drains runs directly to their local waters--and in some cases, their drinking water.

Storm drains, in effect, are gateways for NPS, allowing the pollution to flow from local streets to rivers and creeks, then on to the ocean. In cities and towns of South Carolina, rainwater washes from neighborhood gutters into storm drains, carrying antifreeze, motor oil, cigarette butts, paint, plastic and yard wastes. These wastes never visit a treatment plant before starting their journey to the coast, spoiling waters for both people and wildlife.

     Volunteer groups in over thirty states have coordinated with local governments to paint storm drains. In North Carolina, over 40 cities have participated. Groups get approval from the local government and agree to follow strict safety guidelines. Volunteers also pick up litter near storm drains. Volunteer groups interested in helping the environment and want to become a part of the S.C. Paint the Drain Campaign should contact their local Clemson Extension Office, Jane Quattrochi at SC Sea Grant at (843) 727-2078, or SC DHEC at (803) 734-5177.