Storm Drain Marking Program
Water pollution after a rain storm, known as stormwater runoff pollution, is one of the greatest threats to our region’s waterways. This occurs when rain or melted snow flows over watertight surfaces, such as driveways, sidewalks, and streets. Rather than naturally soaking into the earth, this runoff picks up litter, chemicals, and other pollutants on its way into storm drains. It is then discharged on occasion into the waterways we use for swimming, fishing, drinking water and more.
It’s important that we each do our part to keep our neighborhood clean and healthy!
Philadelphia Storm Drain Marking
Storm Drain Marking Hub
Many people have no idea that storm drains flow to local waterways and unfortunately, many people use them as their personal trash can. Since Philly gets all of its drinking water from local rivers and creeks, it’s extremely important for everyone to do their part and keep the inlets free of litter, pet waste, and harmful chemicals. There are roughly 72,000 inlets, and we need your help to mark them!
We can provide individuals, small groups, and municipalities in Philadelphia with kits to mark their storm drain inlets. Each kit includes enough supplies to mark 15 inlets: instruction booklet, safety vests, adhesive, “Keep it clean!” medallions, and educational tip cards in English, Chinese, and Spanish.
All supplies are FREE, and it’s easy to volunteer. In response to COVID-19, the program will be shipping kits free of charge to participants. All kits will be shipped via the United States Postal Service, and there may be delays.
First, decide how many medallions you want to glue – each kit contains enough supplies to mark 15 inlets – and then complete the online registration form. Only one person per team needs to register and you can register for multiple kits at one time. We use this information to contact you about supplies and pickup times and locations. Supplies are limited: first come, first served.
It’s incredibly important that you mark only the drains assigned to you, unless there’s a safety concern. After completing your project, please return signed copies of the Volunteer Release and Waiver. If you did not receive blank copies of the Volunteer Release and Waiver, please contact the PDE staff member you’ve been talking to. If you don’t mark the storm drains, please return them back to the space you picked them up at.
Other Municipalities
The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary is happy to use its bulk-purchasing power to help municipalities save money while, at the same time, satisfying their MS4 requirements. We are currently updating this program in order to provide a more enjoyable and easy experience for the municipalities we serve. We are not taking orders at this time.
Check back at a later date, or email Sarah Morales at smorales@delawareestuary.org for an update on the program.