Hamburg School makes a difference Difference Day 2006

Hamburg - Storm drain stenciling was how the Hamburg School Environmental Club chose to participate in the 2006 “Make a Difference Day,” an annual national day of doing good, sponsored by the Points of Light Foundation. Storm drain stenciling is an educational watershed pollution prevention action project. For years club members have taken an active role in protecting the Wallkill River and its watershed. Each year, they hold a cleanup, with the support of Sussex County Clean Communities. The new projects was a natural extension of these efforts. In October the AMERICORPS representative for the Wallkill River Watershed visited the school for a demonstration of how non-point source pollution enters our waterways using a model called the “Enviroscape.” Storm drain stenciling is the labeling of storm drain inlets with messages warning citizens not to dump polluting materials down the storm drain. Many people mistakenly believe storm drain inlets flow to water treatment facilities, while in reality they flow directly into the river. “Whatever pollution goes down the storm drain will pollute the fish I catch in the Wallkill River,” said Victor Cornejo, a club member. The club members feel like they have made a difference by fostering public awareness of watershed pollution prevention. “I feel proud about making a difference for our environment,” said Wendy Demarest. The entire community benefits because studies have proven storm drain stencil warnings raise citizen awareness of how pollution can enter into our rivers and lakes. C