Little Rock Drain Stenciling is an organization of Little Rock students whose mission is to spread awareness of stormwater pollution and to act to stop it!

Runoff from urban areas is a major source of pollution in American waterways. When it rains over a city, a lot of water isn't absorbed by the ground--it hits surfaces like concrete and asphalt, or drains out of the soil. That leftover water flows through litter, animal wastes, spilled oil and fertilizers before washing into a storm drain. Unlike sanitary sewers (the ones that carry sewage), what goes in a storm drain is never filtered. The excess water carries all kinds of pollutants straight to the nearest river, which is likely connected to your drinking water supply.

Runoff pollution is a kind of non-point source (NPS) pollution, so called because it doesn't come from one specific place. Every person in the area contributes to NPS pollution, mostly in ways that seem harmless. But normal actions like spraying weed killer and not cleaning up after pets introduce chemicals and harmful bacteria into the water supply.

The solution to this ever-present problem is that we all be more conscious of our actions and their impact on the environment. For instance, by using phosphate-free laundry detergents and using fertilizers carefully, we reduce the incidence of fish-killing algae blooms in local lakes.

With sponsorship from the Little Rock Central High School EAST Initiative and Little Rock Public Works Department, Little Rock Drain Stenciling helps to spread the word about NPS pollution by stenciling the message "DON'T DUMP! PROTECT OUR WATER" on storm drain covers across the city, to warn people that anything going into the storm drains could end up in their drinking water.

Use the valves at right to navigate our site. Visit the Media page to see our informational video, drain stenciling how-to, and other items to help you learn and begin a drain stenciling project. To find out how communities across America are combatting NPS pollution, see our Links page.

If you want to contact us, please visit our Contact page here.

Thanks for your support, and don't forget that protecting America's rivers starts in your driveway.