Public Participation
The City of Oregon Department of Public Service has structured the best management practices (BMPs) to address the pollutants that impact our area. To increase the success of the Stormwater Management Plan, we provided the public with an opportunity to the public to assist in the review of our plan. The public involvement/participation programs will conduct outreach activities to encourage the public to become involved in the reduction these pollutants.
The City of Oregon will promote public participation and involvement by including the public in establishing the best management practices, conducting public meetings, organizing a storm drain stenciling program, and including an email link to the stormwater website.
The City of Oregon has been an active participant in Clean Your Streams for many years. If you are interested in participating in a stream clean up, please reach out to the Public Service Department or plan to join us in September for the Annual Clean Your Streams Day.
Clean Your Streams is a part of Ohio’s Coastweeks cleanups, which are held in conjunction with the International Coastal Cleanup. Clean Your Streams is part of a large international effort to raise awareness of pollution, identify the sources, and work to eliminate them. We can all do our part to help clean our streams!
For more information on how to get involved, please visit www.PartnersForCleanStreams.org.
Storm Drain Stenciling is an activity that draws attention to one of the many types of non-point source pollution: stormwater runoff. In this activity, individuals paint a message onto a storm drain, reminding people that litter and pollutants that enter the storm drain can end up in our waterways.
What is a storm drain?
Many people are unaware that storm drains carry stormwater to the nearest waterway, often without any kind of filtration or treatment. The nearest waterway may be a small creek or ditch, but that creek eventually will connect to a larger stream or river, which eventually will drain into Maumee Bay or Lake Erie. Many of us obtain our drinking water from these sources, so eventually, we are drinking the same water that at one time fell as rain and drained off of our neighborhood streets through storm drains. The debris and chemicals that are carried by the water flowing through storm drains can pollute our water supply and also threaten marine life living within the water bodies that receive the water. It is our responsibility to let only rain go down the storm drains.
The purpose of painting a message on the storm drain is to remind residents and visitors to our community, that whatever goes into that storm drain does not just disappear, but will continue into the environment affecting all life, human and otherwise, in that area. Visitors to the area that notice the stenciled message on the storm drain will learn about the importance of stormwater runoff and how our community cares for the environment.Contact the Department of Public Service at (419) 698-7047 if you or your organization would be interested in participating in Storm Drain Stenciling.