Storm drain stenciling is the act of labeling storm drain inlets
with messages that remind people not to dump anything down the drain.
Usually the message says something like:
"No Dumping! Flows to Creek"
There are more than 150,000 storm drain inlets in the county of
Sacramento and in the cities of Sacramento, Citrus Heights, Folsom,
Galt, and Elk Grove; we are required to have at least 95% of our drains
stenciled by the end of 2007.
Volunteer help is vital for the Stormwater Quality Program to
meet its goals of stenciling all storm drain inlets in the county.
Stenciling storm drain inlets is a great way for concerned citizens
to participate in helping reduce stormwater pollution. By stenciling a
"No Dumping" message on neighborhood storm drain inlets, you
can help to educate others that only rain should go down the storm
drain.
For more information about the stenciling program, contact The
Stormwater Information Line:
- City of Sacramento: (916) 433-6369
- County of Sacramento: (916) 874-6851
No. In fact it's easy. Through the Sacramento Stormwater Quality
Program, the county of Sacramento and the cities of Sacramento, Citrus
Heights, Galt, Folsom and Elk Grove provide stenciling kits to
individuals and groups who want to participate. These kits include all
supplies necessary to stencil storm drains, such as stencils, paint,
maps and safety equipment.
We welcome the participation of all community groups. If you are a
member of one of these groups, encourage other members to become
involved and help protect our creeks by stenciling storm drains. Below
are examples of groups who have participated in the past:
- Schools
- Families
- Neighborhood associations
- Ecology clubs
- Service clubs
- Youth groups
- Church groups
Your group can even give out awards and badges to members for
stenciling!
Stenciling teams must consist of three or more people, with at least
one adult over 18 years of age. No minor less than ten years of age
will be allowed to participate unless supervised by his/her parent or
legal guardian.
I'm a Sacramento
County business owner and would like to get my business involved in
the community? Can my business participate? 
Of course. Businesses and commercial property owners are welcome to
participate in our stenciling program. Your business will benefit
because stenciling the storm drains on your properties can keep
surrounding streets free from debris, making the community look
cleaner. Stencils inform employees, tenants and the public that the
storm drains on your property are not to be used for waste disposal.
Preventing illegal discharges on your property will help you comply
with local stormwater ordinances and may reduce maintenance costs. Additionally, stenciling around your business shows the public,
including your customers, that you care about the environment by preserving local creeks
and rivers.
You bet! Unfortunately some of these messages are several years old
and it's time to do them again. If you've noticed some of the
stenciling messages in your area fading give us a call at (916) 874-6851 and we
will get you started.
It depends on how many storm drain inlets you want to stencil - it
can take as long as one afternoon, one week or even two weeks.
You can stencil all drain inlets within the public right-of-way;
generally those are the drain inlets located on public streets. The
Sacramento County stenciling program has no authority on private
property. Therefore volunteers must obtain permission from the property
owners to stencil in such areas. Contact the Sacramento County
Department of Water Resources to verify the stencil location (916)
874-6851, or if you live in the City of Sacramento call (916) 808-1400.
As long as it's in Sacramento County, you can stencil any storm
drain inlet you like. Volunteers are asked to keep notes of which storm
drain inlets they stencil by marking the maps provided by the County so
we can track progress goals.
Stencil kit contains:
- Five gallon bucket to hold equipment
- Stencil
- Whisk broom
- Traffic cone
- Roll of masking tape
- Roll large plastic trash bag
- Cans of spray paint
- Gloves
- Safety vests
- Dust masks
- Safety goggles
- Paper towels for cleanup
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