Smile! Summer at the Storm Drains 2023 Kicks Off

Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway | City of Madison Website

By Madison Reporter Report

Jul 22, 2023

The City of Madison Engineering Division in partnership with Dane County and Clean Lakes Alliance encourage the community to learn about the stormwater system and visit storm drain murals across Dane County.

Summer at the Storm Drains 2023 is a community selfie storm drain mural contest where the community can visit different storm drain murals across Dane County, snap a selfie, email it in to be entered into a raffle for a prize. The prizes include the following: rain barrels, free consultation with a City stormwater engineer to build your own rain garden on property owner’s property/or native plant selection of same value, $1,000 worth of gift cards to local lakeside restaurants and businesses.

How Summer at the Storm Drains 2023 Works:

This contest will run from 8 a.m., July 24, 2023- 4 p.m., Aug. 6, 2023, leading up to Wisconsin Stormwater Week, (Aug. 5-13, 2023).
Visit any storm drain in Dane County, and snap a selfie at each one. Storm Drain Mural Map
Email each selfie to SummerStormDrains@cityofmadison.com to receive 1 entry in the raffle for prizes. Submit a new selfie for each new mural location you visit to enter the raffle multiple times. Multiple selfies at the same mural will count for one entry for that location. When you email in your selfies, include a contact name and email for prize notification.
Follow the City of Madison Engineering Division Facebook Page to watch for results after Stormwater Week 2023.
Once the contest is finished at 4 p.m., Aug. 6, 2023, City, County and Clean Lakes Alliance Staff will coordinate all entries and enter them in a raffle drawing.
Winners will be announced, posted on the City website and the City of Madison Engineering Division Facebook page at the end of Stormwater Week 2023.

Storm Drain Murals are located between the sidewalk and the curb, and in some locations, on the sidewalk. All selfies should be taken from the sidewalk side and not in the street.

A storm drain is an integral part of City stormwater infrastructure. The drain is where storm run off and snowmelt leave the street and enter the pipes under the road. Storm drains help keep our streets dry and cross walks from icing up. However, they also provide a direct path for garbage, salt, nutrients and pollutants into the lake. Keeping the street, driveways and sidewalks as clean as possible and using as little salt as necessary is the best way to prevent flushing pollutants into our lakes.

Storm Drain Mural Program History

The Madison Area Municipal Stormwater Partnership and Dane County leads the Storm Drain Mural Program to encourage local municipalities and local artists to use storm drains as a canvas to educate residents about stormwater pollution through art. The goal of these colorful murals is to capture the attention of those who pass by, help them understand where the stormwater that enters their storm drain flows and get them thinking about what they can do to help improve local stormwater quality.

Wisconsin Stormwater Week 2023

The Summer at the Storm Drains 2023 contest is a couple weeks of fun, raising awareness ahead of Wisconsin Stormwater Week 2023 (Aug. 5-13, 2023), which the City of Madison is taking part as a partner. Stormwater Week 2023 is a week dedicated to raising awareness about stormwater, what it is, the problems it can cause, and actions people can take to prevent stormwater pollution to our waters. The Wisconsin Stormwater Week Planning Team is developed of statewide municipalities and entities dedicated to stormwater education and awareness. There are a number of virtual events and local events during Stormwater Week 2023.

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