Storm Drain Stenciling Volunteers Raise Awareness While Reducing Pollution

With many volunteer opportunities put on pause during the health crisis, it can be a challenge to find active and safe ways to stay connected and give back to our communities. One way you can help is through preventing pollution with storm drain stenciling with Seattle Public Utilities.  

How does a stencil help?  

Stenciling storm drains helps to bring awareness to our friends and neighbors that our waterways connect to our local storm drains. Everything that goes down storm drains ends up in our streams, lakes, and even Puget Sound. Through storm drain stencil awareness, we visibly encourage the community to keep harmful pollutants like paint, antifreeze, motor oil, soaps, and animal waste out of storm drains and thus, out of our waterways. 

Who can help?  

• Families with children  
• Household groups living together 
• Small groups practicing social distancing 
• Anyone!

This fun and safe outdoor stenciling activity is intended for small groups who want to give back to their local community and share the importance of preventing pollution at the source and in our local waterways. 

Volunteers will be supplied everything they need by SPU in a storm drain stencil kit.  

If you are interested in helping and would like a storm drain stencil kit, please email PreventPollution@seattle.gov to pre-register and schedule a pickup location and time. 

Safety is our priority, so we are offering ZERO CONTACT Stencil Kit Pick-Up/Drop-Off exchange locations.  We thank you for wearing your mask when picking up and dropping off kits. 

Kit are given out and returned between between two to four weeks at one of our zero contact exchange locations. We ask volunteers to keep track of you stencil locations, volunteers, and total hours spent stenciling. 

Upcoming Stencil Kit Pick Up & Drop Off Exchange Dates, Times, & Locations: 

Thank you for helping us make a difference in protecting our local waters and Puget Sound! Click here to find out more about SPU’s Storm Drain Stencil program.