Storm Sewer Stenciling System
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CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA
MEMORANDUM
February 11, 1999
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT:
River Discovery Consortium Storm Sewer Stenciling campaign
Proposal
The Environmental Stewardship Advisory Commission is recommending approval of
the Storm Sewer Stenciling Program. The approximate $2,000 in costs would
come from existing City resources in this year's budget.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
MCVM/j
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel
Tim Moerman, Assistant City Manager
Michael Buelow, Environmental Stewardship Advisory Commission
CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA
MEMORANDUM
January 27, 1999
TO:
~~c.v_~. City~"'r
FROM:
Michael Buelow, Chairperson, Environmental Stewardshi- dbAIZ. -
Advisory Commission ~
,/
SUBJECT:
River Discovery Consortium Storm Sewer Stenciling Campaign
Proposal
Introduction
The purpose of this memorandum is to recommend the consideration and approval
of the Storm Sewer Stenciling proposal submitted to the Environmental Stewardship
Advisory Commission by the River Discovery Consortium by the City Council.
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Discussion
The purpose of the Storm Sewer Stenciling Campaign is to educate our citizens on
ways to protect our local watersheds, streams and river, by reducing the amount of toxic
materials entering our storm sewer drains. These storm sewers empty into these streams
and our Mississippi River. A stenciled or labeled message "Dump No Waste: Drains to
River", or possibly" . . . Drains To Creek" or " . . . Drains To Basin", would be applied to
selected storm sewer drains. This type of campaign has been successful in thousands of
communities across the country. This pollution prevention message is an effective part of
local community compliance with the federal Clean Water Act.
The River Discovery Consortium is proposing this campaign as a public-private
partnership with the Operations and Maintenance Department, which would share
responsibility for planning, implementation, and enlisting volunteers.
The Environmental Stewardship Advisory Commission recommends that the City
Council consider this proposal for implementation, as an appropriate step in addressing the
environmental stewardship objectives of both the 1996 Riverfront Plan and the Dubuque
Comprehensive Plan.
Action Step
It is our recommendation that the attached Storm Sewer Stenciling Campaign proposal be
submitted to the City Council for consideration and approval.
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STORM DRAIN LABELLING CAMPAIGN
\VHA TIS NONPOINT SOURCE POLLUTION?
Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution is caused when rainfall carries pollutants from a wide
variety of sources into surface water or ground water. The term distinguishes pollution
that is diffuse in its origins from pollution that is traceable to a single "point source,"like a
factory or wastewater treatment plant.
\VHAT ARE NONPOINT SOURCE POLLUTANTS?
Many products and materials we use in daily life become nonpoint source pollutants when
quantities of them reach bodies of water. NPS pollutants can be chemical, like pesticides
and fertilizers. They can be automotive products like gasoline, motor oil, antifreeze and
tire rubber. They might be common household items like paint and solvents. They can
even be natural materials like soil, pet and animal manure, and grass clippings.
HOW DO NPS POLLUTANTS REACH THE WATERSHED?
Sometimes NPS pollutants wash directly into a creek, river or lake. Construction activity,
when erosion control techniques are not utilized, sends soil anc~ debris directly into nearby
creeks and streams. Agricultural activities also may generate NPS pollutants, when
fertilizers, pesticides, livestock wastes and eroded soil are not managed properly and are
allowed to wash directly into nearby surface waters.
In urban areas, though, the most common route for NPS pollutants is the network of
storm drains that carry excess rain water away from streets and directly into surface
waters. NPS pollutants can be washed by rainfall from lawns, driveways and streets into
storm drains, or they can be dumped there deliberately by people who are careless about
the environment or who mistakenly think the storm drains flow to a water treatment plant. .
HOW DO NPS POLLUTANTS AFFECT WATER QUALITY?
Just as the nature ofNPS pollutants varies widely, so do their effects on water quality.
Pesticides, antifreeze and motor oil contain toxic chemicals that are harmful to humans,
animals and plants. Just one quart of motor oil can ruin the quality of 250,000 gallons of
water. The phosphorous and nitrogen in fertilizers, pet and livestock wastes and
decomposing leaves and grass can cause large amounts of algae to grow, which deplete
the oxygen level in the water and can lead to fish kills. Animal wastes also introduce
harmful "E-coli" bacteria and other pathogens into water supplies.. Sediment from soil
erosion or construction activity can reduce the clarity of water, block sunlight needed by
aquatic species and change the habitat. Litter and debris, particularly plastic items that
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float, spoil the beauty of creeks, rivers and harbors and can be harmful to fish and birds
who mistake them for food.
WHAT IS STORM DRAIN LABELING AND \VHY IS IT NECESSARY?
Many people mistakenly believe storm drain inlets empty to water treatment facilities, so
they pour chemicals or sweep debris directly into storm drains. This dumping greatly
increases the level of nonpoint source pollutants (leaves, soil, litter, fertilizers, pesticides,
street residues) already present in urban storm water runoff and can contribute
substantially to a decline in surface water quality.
More communities are working to reduce nonpoint source pollution by labelling storm
drain inlets with messages warniniCitizens not to dump polluting materials. As is the case
with most drain labelling projects, we are recommending the Dubuque initiative be
conducted by volunteer groups in 'cooperation with local authorities. The stencilled or
labelled message along with the outline of an appropriate aquatic species, such as a catfish,
will be determined by the location of the drains and into which component of the
watershed they drain, thus we will select one of the following: "Dump No Waste,
Drains To River", "Dump No Waste, Drains To Creek" and "Dump No Waste,
Drains To Basin". These messages will remind would-be dumpers and passersby that the
storm drains connect to local surface waters and that dumping pollutes those waters.
In recent years, as states and local governments have learned more about how nonpoint
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source pollution degrades water quality, storm drain labelling efforts have sprung up in
communities across the country. The Center for Marine Conservation (CMC), a
nationwide environmental organization dedicated to protecting marine life, estimates that
97 groups in 33 states and Canada now are involved in storm drain labelling. In 1992, the
.CMC launched its "Million Points of Blight" campaign to educate people about the
connection between storm drains and local waterways and to involve them in labelling
efforts. *
HOW DOES STORM DRAIN LABELLING ADDRESS CITY, STATE AND
FEDERAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY?
Storm Drain Labelling is an effective and direct means of advancing environmental
objecitves stated in the city's 1996 Riverfront Plan and in the Dubuque Comprehensive
Plan. In the Environmental Component of the Riverfront Plan, the Environmental
Stewarship Advisory Commission called for "community education on river environment
issues" and attention to the "habitats of all creatures of the Mississippi River bio-region
which are greatly affected by any changes in their ecosystems." The Commission also
proposed "monitoring of the Mississippi and the Dubuque waterway~ on the effects of
watershed drainage". Storm Drain Labelling will serve as a catalyst for more
comprehensive "monitoring" of the watershed and serve to expand our definition of that
activity as not simply passive observation of the effluent, but also active prevention of
toxic materials entering into the watershed
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The Dubuque Comprehensive Plan asserts that "environmental quality goals must
address the balance between responsible stewardship and protection of our environment
and the impacts of urban living." Toward the accomplishment of these goals, the plan
calls for the "development of ongoing environmental education programs for citizens of all
ages, building on the community's natural resources." Furthermore, the plan states as an
objective to "identify and develop potential controlling measures to safeguard water and
air quality."
The River Discovery Consortium intends to serve as a civic-action association which will
initiate and implement directives ai!eady determined through the leadership of the
Environmental Stewardship Commission and the City of Dubuque. In this regard, the
storm drain labelling campaign can be seen as one link in a chain of collaborative civic
partnerships which will successfully address water quality issues.
This project also coalesces with Phase II of the federal Storm Water Act requiring
municipalities with a population of 50,000 or more to reduce discharges to the "maximum
extent practical" and to conduct public education relative to storm drains. These
regulations will be out in final form in March of 1999 and permits will need to be inplace
by May 2002. Furthermore, the designation of the Upper Mississippi River as an
American Heritage River will increase federal resources available to our community to
"attack pollution problems" and "protect watersheds." The sto~ drain labelling project
constitutes a concrete response to that designation and signifies our local intention to
protect a national resource and utilize federal support. .
Finally, Iowa must fulfill its obligations under the federal Clean 'Vater Act to implement
a planning process to protect our waters and set pollution limits for'our watershed.
According to the Iowa Environmental Council, Iowa is "far behind all other states in
setting water quality standards, monitoring, identifying impaired waters, and acting to
restore them." Initiating this project will showcase the City of Dubuque as taking
responsibility for our watershed and becoming a sustainable community into the 21st
century. .
RECRUTITING VOLUNTEERS
The River Discovery Consortium and its participating members are prepared to coordinate
the recruitment of volunteers. A variety of methods would be availble to us in reaching out
to volunteers. The City of Dubuque could inform several civic groups through a
description of the project in City Focus. While a specific plan for outreach is not yet
determined, it is likely we will use channels such as the newspaper, community meetings
and encourage word-of-mouth communications about the program. Already there is
significant interest among volunteer groups and a preliminary list of organizations is
enClosed with this packet.
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TRAINING VOLUNTEERS
Before participating in a storm drain labelling project, volunteers need training in three
areas: technique, safety and information tracking. For the purposes of this proposal, we
will forgo a detailed description of the components of the training. The training will be
conducted through coordination of the River Discovery Consortium and the oversight of
the City's Operations and Maintenance Department. As is the case with any successful
volunteer effort, this training will be coupled with proper recognition of the volunteers and
commendation for their community service.
ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF STORM DRAIN LABELLING
By raising public awareness of nonpoint source pollution, storm drain labelling programs
should discourage practices that generate nonpoint source pollutants. As with any public
education project, however, it is difficult to precisely measure the effect storm drain
labelling programs have on human behavior. Nor is it easy to measure reductions in
certain components of nonpoint source pollution, which by definition is diffuse in origin.
Some cities attempt to assess the effectiveness of storm drain labelling programs by
periodically examining water samples from targeted storm drain outfalls (places where
storm drains empty into a body of water). If storm drains leading to a particular outfall
have been labeled, and if the level of pollutants from that outfall declines over time, one
can assume the labelling has had some deterrent effect.
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The city.ofFort Worth plans to track pollutant levels at 600 storm drain outfalls over the
next five years to determine whether storm drain labelling and other pollution prevention
efforts have improved water qualtiy in local creeks. The city of PIano is now collecting
baseline water quality data from targeted outfalls and will take periodic samples to
measure program results in the future.
Monitoring outfalls is time-consuming, and periodic testing for component NPS pollutants
can be expensive. Some cities infer success from increases in the volume of used motor
oil delivered to used-oil recycling centers. Others measure success in terms of how many
drains are labelled and the number of requests received by volunteer groups to participate
in the program. They can also take into consideration the number of cleanups conducted
by the city as a result of reports made by volunteers.
* Adapted in part from the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, the East Central Iowa
Council of Governments, Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the City of Cedar Rapids.
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RIVER DISCOVERY CONSORTIUM
Storm Drain Labelling Campaign
MATERIALS LIST (revised 10/1/98)
Materials Supplied by East Central Iowa Council On GQvemment (ECICOG):
30 orange cones '
33-36 Vests
20 flags
10 wire brushes
10 broom/dust pans
"'NOTE: It is likely double this amount of equipment will be necessary for efficiency.
Materials Supplied by City (proposed):--
Stencils (approx. 100 @ a price 0[$340 per 25)
Educational flier Or brochure - 1 per residence in area of stencilling
Spray Paint - Seymour Stripe,latex, inverted tip marker ground traffic paint, non-CFC, non-ozone
depleting, white, $48 per case (12 cans) - approx. 10 stencils per can.
Maps of Sewer Drains
"'NOTE: We are also ex-ploring the possible donation of these materials from local businesses.
Material Supplied by River Discovery Consortium (proposed):
Data cardsl Pencils! Clipboards
Coordination of Volunteers and educational resourcing
Certificates for Volunteers
Complimentary Tickets to Miss. River Museum/ National River Hall ofFaple
"'NOTE: Conosortiurn is seeking a grant from the McKnight Foundation which would offer increased
resources to this project; however the allocation wouldn't be until November.
Business Donations
3-sided box for wind break - BPI
rolls masking tape
trash bags
"Wet paint" Signs
PROJECTED ACTIVITYIPRODUCTMTY PER WORKDAY - 9am until Noon
60 Volunteers per Saturday - 20 teams of3 persons each (ladult or quality supervisor per team)
Rate of 15 min. per stencil = 12 stencils per team, a total of240 drains stencilled per day.
Approx. 2 cans paint per team= 40 cans paint per day (or 3-4 cases of paint)
2 Stencils per team = 40 stencils per day (washable and reuseable stencils)
Yet To Be Determined: 1. Method of de terming which neighborhoods are to be stencilled.
2. Total # of Storm Drains in the City
3. Whether one stencilled message will be used or three.
4. Confirmation that stenciling is the label of choice.
5. Actual size of stencil, 24 x 12 is recommended.
NOTE: Stencilling is not to be conducted on main arteries or highways.
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VOLUNTEER CORPS (preliminary 10/1/98)
Expeditionary Learning Schools
-6th Grade Expedition on the River
Table Mound
Marshall
Fulton
Lincoln
Bryant
Boy Scouts
Girl Scouts
Hillcrest Family Services
Junior Achievement
Wahlert High School - SAVE
RSVP
Holy Ghost School
Girls Club
Loras College
Clarke College
University of Dubuque
Audubon
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