Art Project Aims to Reduce Storm Drain Pollution

The public is invited to volunteer in a storm drain stenciling project to help protect Maui waters.

Volunteers will celebrate International Coastal Cleanup Day by painting messages of “No Dumping – Drains to Ocean” on storm drain inlets in the residential area above Ka`ehu Bay.

According to a press release from the county, these messages “help people be mindful of how their actions on land can affect our ocean health.”

Land-based litter, motor oil, soaps and detergents, excess fertilizers and pesticides, green waste and sediment can enter storm drains and discharge to the ocean untreated, the release states.

The project will cover three outfalls in Waiʻehu that carry stormwater runoff directly to the bay.

“The goal of the event is to raise awareness that storm drains may empty directly into the ocean, and to discourage dumping of potential pollutants into the drains,” Department of Public Works director Rowena Dagdag-Andaya said in the release.

The project will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Sept. 22 at Waiʻehu Terrace Beach Park.

Volunteers must be at least 12 years old.

To sign up, email [email protected].