Urban Stormwater Education Programmes

Hi All,

We are starting to do some stencilling in this area, and the first site was an industrial one. The officer who organised the stencilling says that many employees have reported to her that they have changed their behaviour while on site due to realising that what they were hosing down the drain went into the harbour. We chose crabs and prawns as icons (as well as frogs and fish) as many of the mostly male workforce are keen fishermen, and eaters of the local prawns and crabs. The paint is fading, but it gives them an opportunity to do the activity again every two years to raise awareness again. This is only anecdotal evidence, but it's a start.

Anna Hitchcock

Port Curtis Waterwatch Coordinator
(07) 4970 7293 0412 502 798
[email protected]
http://pcwaterwatch.blogspot.com

Hi Donna

I would concur with your comments regarding drain stencilling. Certainly raises awareness but have yet to observe 'actual' behaviour change as a result of such stencilling campaigns. Although a useful educational tool for primary schools in retaining the message throughout adulthood and possibly passing on the 'right' message to their parents/carers. Whilst SME specific some Catchment Water Management Boards in South Australia which now operate under the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board have developed successful stormwater education programs which have been in operation since 1995. Rather than go into detail please visit: http://www.catchments.net/sppp/index.shtml Hope this is of some use.

Regards
Mark Labaz

Coordinator Stormwater Pollution Prevention Projects
Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges
Natural Resources Management Board
T: 08 82719190
F: 08 82719585
M: 0401123697
W: www.nrm.sa.gov.au
Addr: 5 Greenhill Road WAYVILLE SA 5034

Hi,

The City of Toronto recently approved a 25 year plan to deal with stormwater issues. You can read about Toronto's Water Pollution Solution (formerly known as the Wet Weather Flow Management Master Plan) here: http://www.toronto.ca/water/protecting_quality/wwfmmp/index.htm They had a pretty good ad campaign to go along with it. http://www.toronto.ca/wesads/index.htm#water There is also a "Yellow Fish Road" program in Canada, which I think is what you're talking about re: kids painting fish by stormdrains to remind people that this drain connects to the lake. I don't think there has been any research as to the effectiveness of this program. In the Toronto area YFR is part of a "Watershed on Wheels" program run by Toronto and Region Conservation. check it out: http://www.trca.on.ca/learning_education/your_community/default.asp?load=our_program

Check out Stream of Dreams http://www.streamofdreams.net/ this program combines a fish painting and installation program along with in class presentations. They are based in Vancouver, BC and YellowFish Road from Trout Unlimited Canada

Janice Dewar

Communications Officer City of Edmonton
3rd Floor, Century Place, 9803 -
102A Ave. Edmonton, AB T5J 3A3
Phone: (780) 496-6754
Fax: (780) 496-5636
www.edmonton.ca
[email protected]

Donna, I expect that you will be interested in the programmes run by RiverSides (www.riversides.org ) in Toronto, Canada.

Regards,
Kevin Devitt

Hi Donna,

You should check out the Clearwater website, which is an information exchange for sustainable urban water management www.clearwater.asn.au. The Clearwater program is a joint initiative of the Municipal Association of Victoria and the Stormwater Industry Association of Victoria, and they've got plenty of useful info on their website, which basically consists of three databases.

Best regards,
Anna Strempel

Community Project Worker
Moreland Energy Foundation Ltd
PO Box 276 Brunswick VIC 3056
Ph: (03) 9381 1722
Fax: (03) 9381 1733

In NSW there was a Stormwater Trust that granted $ to local governments (councils) to run the type of programs I think you are looking at. Try googling Stormwater Trust and see how you go. You could also look a the Sydney Water site.

regards
GAbrielle Kay
Project Management for Social Impact