By Beth Krumrine
 |
On Saturday, September 8th, more than 15 volunteers gathered in Milton, Delaware, to install attractive medallions stating, “No Dumping, Drains to River” on all storm drains within the town. This project aimed to increase awareness about stormwater pollution and remind visitors, residents, and local business owners that what goes down the storm drain ends up in the Broadkill River and ultimately in the Delaware Bay.
As part of this effort, GPS coordinates were also gathered for all storm drains throughout the town months prior to the event for mapping purposes. On event day, volunteers were split into groups of three or more and given a map of the drains to be marked, a bag full of supplies, and instructions on why medallions are being installed and how to properly install them. Afterwards, every volunteer left with a tote bag having the logo of the medallion on the front.
 |
In addition to the storm drain marking workshop, Milton residents received a colorful brochure explaining small changes that homeowners can make to reduce their impacts on the environment. For example, obtaining a soil test prior to fertilizing lawns gives property owners an indication of how much fertilizer to use. Adding excess fertilizers not only wastes money, but it also can harm the aquatic environment by causing algal blooms and decreasing oxygen levels available for fish and other aquatic organisms. Soil tests typically cost less than $10 and can be obtained by the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension. Other sources of pollutants mentioned in the brochure include pet waste, oil and gasoline from cars, soil from construction sites, herbicides from lawns and golf courses, and trash.
This event was a collaborative effort by the DNREC Sediment and Stormwater Program, DNREC Nonpoint Source Section, Town of Milton, Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials program, and the University of Delaware Water Resources Agency, and funded through the DNREC Nonpoint Source Section (Section 319 Clean Water Act grant).
