Cooperative Extension art installation identifies stormwater path

Media Contact: Jane Maginot * jmaginot@uaex.edu *  479-684-9145

Jan. 29, 2021

Cooperative Extension art installation identifies stormwater path

By the U of A System Division of Agriculture

Fast Facts:

·       Eco-art installation designed to help residents better understand stormwater flow

·       Several Springdale organizations partnering to encourage participation

SPRINGDALE, Ark. –  A new eco-art installation in downtown Springdale highlights the path of stormwater as it leaves city streets for creeks and other waterways. The installation, coordinated by the Northwest Arkansas Stormwater Education program, is intended to make people aware of the potential pollutants that can enter waterways through the storm drain system.

The Northwest Arkansas Stormwater Education program works with cities in Northwest Arkansas to provide stormwater pollution prevention education.

The installation will include blue, six-inch survey markers, featuring “whisker lines,” and concrete stickers that follow the water’s path as it enters the storm drain on Emma Avenue then flows to an outfall at Spring Creek at Walter Turnbow park. An outfall is where the storm drain empties into a nearby stream without going through a treatment process. The “whisker lines” illustrate the direction of the water’s flow.

The idea for the project came from artist Stacy Levy who did a similar project in Mont-Saint-Hilaire, an off-island suburb of Montreal in Quebec.

“Many people have the misconception that storm drains lead to a wastewater treatment plant, but that is incorrect in Northwest Arkansas,” Jane Maginot, Washington County Cooperative Extension agent with University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said. “Any potential pollutants that may be on our city streets, parking lots or lawns, such as oils, litter, pet waste or fertilizers flow directly to creeks harming water quality.”

The Cooperative Extension Service manages the NWA Stormwater Education Program.

The City of Springdale and Downtown Springdale Alliance are partnering with the project to educate the community of this environmental message. To encourage greater community participation, the NWA Stormwater Education program will provide weekly opportunities to win gift cards to local businesses through their Facebook group, “Know the Flow — Spring Creek,” which can be found at https://www.facebook.com/groups/864692450983390.

There will also be an opportunity to win a grand prize of “Dine Downtown,” a suite of gift cards to downtown Springdale restaurants. The installation will come to an end with a socially distanced litter clean-up along Spring Creek on March 20.

For more information on ways to participate in these programs, please follow #KnowtheFlowNWA on Twitter and Instagram, visit www.uaex.edu/nwastormwater, or contact Jane Maginot at jmaginot@uaex.edu, 479-444-1755. The installation is a temporary installation and will be removed in March.

To learn more about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @UAEX_edu.

About the Division of Agriculture

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system. 

The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.  

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

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