Beginning next week, storm drains in Pottsville—approximately 120 river miles upstream of Philadelphia—will be marked with the “No Dumping! Drains To River” stickers that have been familiar sights in Philly since 2000. Preventing litter from entering storm drains—whether in Pottsville or Philadelphia—helps improve water quality in the Schuylkill and, eventually, the Delaware. The Pottsville Republican Herald reported on the storm drain sticker initiative in a July 18 article:
“As Megan Blackmon, outreach and programs coordinator for Schuylkill Headwaters Association, walked along Pottsville’s Mahantongo Street on Friday morning, she noticed some litter in the storm drain at the intersection of 20th Street. A paper cup from a fast-food restaurant. A plastic spoon. The remains of a napkin. She wondered what the cup had held. Soda? A milk shake? Whatever it was, if it went down the drain it would be headed toward the Schuylkill River.
Inspired by an effort in Philadelphia to stop dumping into drains like these, Blackmon and a group of volunteers from the Schuylkill YMCA in Pottsville are planning to post 150 plastic stickers 6 inches in diameter on streets near them.”
The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary has more info on the Storm Drain Marking Program.