Students partner with city to raise stormwater awareness

This week is Stormwater Awareness Week, and Sumner High School students Kaytlin and Evie want you to remember: “Only rain down the drain.”

If you see stickers around Sumner High School and along Main Street sporting the same slogan, know the two seniors had a hand in getting them there.

Working with city of Sumner’s Environmental Technician Joey Urquhart, Kaytlin and Evie created the stickers to bring awareness to stormwater protection as part of a Sustainability Challenge for the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA). 

“We chose this because of our initial care for sustainability,” Evie said. “It is important to protect our Earth, and I think there are easy ways to do this, but people might just not know. That is why promoting ways of protecting stormwater and showing what is harmful to it is impactful.”

Stormwater turns into runoff when rain falls on hard surfaces and does not soak into the ground. It can become polluted through coming into contact with vehicle fluids, fertilizers, pesticides, pet waste, and more. Actions like picking up pet waste, washing your car on gravel instead of pavement, and using the right amount of fertilizer or biosolids can help keep stormwater – and our rivers, lakes, streams, and other bodies of water in our community – clean.

In addition to placing 27 stickers, Evie and Kaytlin raised awareness by handing out pamphlets, hanging up posters in classrooms and presenting to students at Daffodil Valley and Maple Lawn elementary schools about stormwater pollution and how to prevent it.

“It’s important to teach children so that they can make habits that they’ll follow their entire life,” Evie said. 

The two were also awarded 15th in the nation and a gold ranking for their sustainability project at the FCCLA National Conference in Orlando over the summer. 

In honor of Stormwater Awareness Week (Oct. 4-11), Evie and Kaytlin spoke at the Sumner City Council on Sept. 15. 

“This experience has been really rewarding for us, and we want to thank the city for the opportunity to work with them,” Evie told council members.

Way to go, Eve and Kaytlin!