TROY – The Clinton River Watershed Council (CRWC) is searching for five local artists to create murals above storm drains in the city of Troy to help inspire curiosity about where storm water goes and its impact on local waterways.
The program aims to educate residents about the importance of keeping pollutants out of our sewers and storm water, as it is fed directly into the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair. Each mural can range in size from 3-by-3 feet to 3-by-5 feet and should feature the colors provided, which will include green, blue, yellow, black and white paint.
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Each muralist will receive a $500 stipend and all materials needed for the project. Interested artists must submit their storm drain design here to be considered.
The paint should last up to eight years, according to the CRWC, however the city of Troy will have permission to remove the murals after five years if it chooses.
“During removal, the municipality will use a fine mesh cover on the storm drain to capture the paint chips as a best management practice,” a CRWC spokesperson wrote Monday in response to inquiry it received about the project on social media. “We hope that by bringing these messages into communities it will help spark curiosity, care and ownership over storm drains so that less pollutants will find their way from homes into our rivers.”
The CRWC is also leading a Storm Drain Stewards project in Madison Heights this summer to discourage illegal dumping, and is currently seeking 10-15 volunteers to help stencil storm drains with the phrase: “No Dumping, Drains to River.”
That project, sponsored by Pure Oakland Water (POW) kicks off at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 27, with a stenciling event at Civic Center Park, 360 W 13 Mile Rd.
Fore more information about the Storm Drain Stewards program and how to apply, visit crwc.org/stormdrainstewards.