With spring comes spring cleaning. And Seattle is no exception. The city is asking residents to tidy up their neighborhoods - helping out with everything from picking up litter to painting over graffiti. Another thing the city could use help with is stenciling storm drains as a way to protect Puget Sound.
Michael May with Seattle Public Utilities says getting people involved with this type of activity helps raise awareness of storm drain pollution.
"People often think when stuff goes in there that it's taken care of, that it goes to 'treatment' so no worries. When the case really is that most of the water and the stuff that goes into the storm drain goes straight into Puget Sound or Lake Washington. "
May says people don't usually think twice about storm drain waste until they see rainbow streaks of greasy gas and chemicals pouring into these drains during a heavy rain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omUuWxP8YFU
Seattle Public Utilities has free stenciling kits for anyone who'd like to paint a picture of a fish next to a street drain with the words "Drains to Sound."