Careless dumping of used motor oil, antifreeze and household or garden chemicals down neighborhood storm drains has become a common pollution problem. Often it occurs because people do not realize that enormous amounts of pollution come from the accumulation of individual citizen actions, not just from industry. They do not understand the connection between the storm drain and their local stream. Unlike sanitary sewer systems, storm drains are generally not routed to a wastewater treatment plant. This means that debris, litter, or pollutants that wash down storm drains end up in local waterways or our drinking water.

    As part of Phase II of the Clean Water Act, cities, townships and municipalities are asked to monitor and control the pollution that is released to waterways and ground water. At the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District we have taken a proactive stance in helping our community residents be aware of what goes into their storm drains and eventually into our water supplies.

    Effective education can increase public awareness and lead to individual behavior changes. For this reason we are connecting community leaders and school districts in a storm drain tagging project. The education specialist from the District goes into classrooms and delivers presentations about watersheds and pollution. After the presentations the students and community leaders apply tags on the storm drains. These tags warn residents not to dump pollutants that could wash down the drains and seriously impact their clean water for drinking, recreation, and for fish and wildlife habitat.

    Currently we have four communities working in conjunction with their local school districts. The City of Mason has partnered with Mason Intermediate School fifth grade students to tag drains within their city. The City of Springboro has a program that started when a young man, Nick Fullenkamp, tagged 500 drains as part of his quest to become an Eagle Scout. Deerfield Township is a strong supporter of the tagging efforts of Columbia Elementary sixth grade students, and Waynesville Wastewater Treatment Plant employees have championed the storm drain tagging program with fifth grade students at Waynesville Elementary. Deerfield Township was the first community to participate in the storm drain tagging program with the District.

    The storm drain tagging program is an effective “hands-on” educational tool which provides kids a wonderful opportunity to get involved in an area of local concern and become part of the solution. The partnership developed between these communities and their schools provides a win-win situation for all of us.

    If you have any questions or would like more information about our storm drain tagging program, please contact Marsha at the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District at 693-1337.