Have You Noticed This Marking on Kittery Streets? There's a Reason!

Have you noticed markings like these around Kittery streets?  Well, here's the scoop!

In order to raise awareness about reducing stormwater pollution of our waters, the Town of Kittery, along with local volunteers, have been applying stencils to the open grates in the street (like the one above).  It is important to realize that these open grates (called storm drains or catch basins) in the streets lead directly to water bodies like Spruce Creek, Chauncey Creek, the Piscataqua River and eventually to the ocean.  Anything on the streets (pet waste, leaves, wrappers, dirt, cigarettes or any litter) ends up in these catch basins and can then flow out to our water bodies, untreated. During big rain events, even things on our lawns like excess fertilizer or pesticides can end up in the catch basins and water bodies. 

The Town of Kittery inspects and cleans the catch basins each year. With your help in keeping these drains clean, we can protect our water bodies and minimize this catch basin cleaning effort. 

For more information, visit www.ThinkBlueMaine.org or follow https://www.facebook.com/SMSWG/.  Thanks for helping to keep our waters clean!