Storm Drain Murals in Anacostia

This wonderful post is republished with permission from The ART of WARd 8, a blog run by watershed resident Charles Wilson. Click here to read the original on his blog.

We all pass by storm drains every day and forget they are a fast lane for our urban storm water directly into the Anacostia River. Unfortunately, some use these drains as sort of a trashcan, sweeping trash and debris into them thinking they will never to be seen again. This is not the case.This trash eventually ends up in the Anacostia River.  One of the many reasons why the River is polluted preventing us from fishing, swimming or enjoying other water activities is because of this trash. Some even say that the health of the River is tied directly to the health of the community it is named after. This past week was a perfect example. It rained every day and the litter you saw on the street was swept away by the rain water into the drain. See the video below.

Earlier this year the Historic Anacostia Block Association partnered with the Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) in their Storm Water Drain Mural project. The goal of the project is to paint murals on the drains to hopefully make people think twice about littering and also bring awareness to the importance of a clean river. The AWS asked local artist to submit renderings. Community members served as the judges and picked the best 8 to be painted on the drains. We are happy to report we selected several Ward 8 residents as winners.