Bangor Area Groups Stencil Storm Drains in Effort to Educate Public About Polluted Runoff
Contact: Caroline Tjepkema at (207) 581-3213
ORONO — Several Bangor area groups are doing their part to help protect the water quality of the Penobscot River by stenciling local storm drains. The stencils include the message “keep water clean — drains to river” and the website address www.thinkbluemaine.org, where people can go to learn more about how to prevent stormwater pollution.
On Aug. 2 at 1 p.m., councilors in training from the Bangor Y Travel Camp will stencil storm drains on Molly Lane, Jennifer Lane, and Drew Lane in Bangor. On Aug. 3 at 9:30 a.m., campers from the KidZone summer day camp in Orono will stencil storm drains in the area of Orono High School and Westwood Drive. On Aug. 3 at 5 p.m., groups of residents from Robin Hood Drive and Rotherdale Road in Brewer will stencil storm drains in their neighborhood. On Aug. 4 at 10 a.m., a Veazie Girl Scout troop will stencil storm drains in the Silver Ridge Subdivision in Veazie. The stenciling projects on Aug. 2, 3, and 4 are part of a statewide campaign to educate the public about the sources of stormwater pollution.
Storm drains are a familiar sight in many Maine communities, but people do not always stop to think about what happens to water that enters these drains. Some assume that storm drains lead to a sewage treatment plant. Although they may resemble manholes, storm drains do not lead to the sanitary sewer. They lead to a separate storm sewer, a special system that is only for the water that runs off after a rain storm and for snow melt water in the spring. Because of the sheer volume of water that goes into the storm sewers, it is not practical to treat it.
Because water that enters the storm drains is not treated before it goes into the Penobscot River, it is important to keep it clean. Anything that can be carried away by runoff can become pollution if it ends up in a storm drain. This includes trash, soil, pesticides, fertilizer, pet waste, and oil.
Recently implemented regulations require many Maine communities to reduce the amount of pollution in water leaving their storm sewer systems. In the Bangor area, these regulations apply to Bangor, Brewer, Hampden, Old Town, Milford, Orono and Veazie. The regulation specifies that each community’s efforts to reduce stormwater pollution must include a public education component. Storm drain stenciling is a great way for local citizens to help their communities while informing others about what happens to stormwater. Stenciling projects in the Bangor area have received support from the Bangor Area Stormwater Group, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, and University of Maine Cooperative Extension.