DARLINGTON, SC (WBTW) The City of Darlington along with Clemson Extension decided to create a mural to raise awareness for the stormwater drainage system.
Coker University Graduate, Darius Leonard was hired to paint the mural in front of city hall. It took him three days to complete the project.
“Stormwater is just rain that falls on hard surfaces such as roadways and rooftops. As that water flows across the landscapes, it picks up whatever pollutants is left behind and flows directly into the storm drain that takes it directly to our local water wave,” said Sarah Rogers, Clemson Extension Water Resources Agent.
According to Rogers, pollutants can affect drinking water for people and animals. Their mission with the mural is to encourage people to stop throwing trash on the ground.
“We can’t always come up with millions and millions of dollars to fix an entire street, but if we can get people to start keeping their debris out of the street, if we can get people not to blow things into the street, and if we can get people to understand what stormwater is just having that knowledge can help our system,” said Lisa Rock, Director of Economic Development & Planning for Darlington.
Other ways the city of Darlington works to protect the stormwater pipes is through a Vactor truck that goes around town emptying dirt and debris that flows into drains. Rock said drain repairs can get expensive.
“Now that we have a master plan and a stormwater fee, we have a mechanism to fund those renovations or repairs,” she said.
Darlington is also an MS4 city which means their stormwater pipes are completely separate from the sewage pipes. Rock said she thinks the city could bring more murals in the future to represent different things.