NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 28, 1998

CARY STORM DRAIN STENCILING PROJECT TO BE LAUNCHED ON SATURDAY

CARY, NC -- At a brief ceremony in front of Town Hall, the Town of Cary and the Neuse River Foundation will formally launch its joint storm drain stenciling project, an effort to make citizens aware that what goes into storm drains eventually ends up in our rivers, not in the Town’s wastewater facilities as many people believe. The storm drain stenciling project involves small groups of volunteers using stenciling kits provided by the Town to spray-paint each drain with a "Flows to the Neuse River" or "Flows to the Cape Fear River" message. The ceremony, which will be held at noon on Saturday, will feature remarks by Town Council and Neuse River Foundation members. Immediately following, the group will move to the adjacent Town Hall parking lot and stencil one storm drain. The event will take place rain or shine.

"Every year, motor oil, fertilizers, yard waste and litter find their way into our rivers, streams, and oceans through storm drains," said Tom Horstman, Cary’s Erosion Control Officer and coordinator for this project. Cary has about 13,000 storm drains which empty into either the Neuse or Cape Fear watersheds.

It will likely take more than a year for volunteers to stencil every drain in Cary, but the Town is committed to being the first local government in North Carolina to have all drains marked. "This project is a very important part of the Town’s overall commitment to environmental education and protection," said Town Manager Bill Coleman.

The Town and NRF will be recruiting volunteers throughout the life of the project, and training sessions are being conduced throughout the summer. "This is a great activity for families, homeowners associations, or civic groups," said Horstman. "We’re hoping that a few folks in every Cary neighborhood will take part to increase awareness in their segment of the community." Anyone interested in participating in the storm drain stenciling project should contact Horstman at 469-4347.

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PRIMARY CONTACTS: Tom Horstman, Erosion Control Officer, 469-4347
Heather Beard, Neuse River Foundation, 834-7911
Bill Coleman, Town Manager, 469-4002
Susan Moran, Public Information Officer, 460-4951