On Sunday, November 19, 2017, volunteers from the International WeLoveU Foundation in North Carolina joined forces with the City of Huntersville. Ecstatic to receive another opportunity to serve their community, they met to fulfill their task. The project at hand involves marking storm drains with decals. The decals read, “This Drain Is Only for Rain. Do Not Dump—Drains to Creek.” This is due to an influx of polluted stormwater entering local streams and creeks.

What’s Happening With Storm Drains?

Stormwater is water from rain or melting snow that does not soak into the ground. It flows from rooftops, sloped lawns and so on. As it flows, the stormwater collects and transports animal waste, litter, oil, pesticides, and other potential pollutants. This enters the storm drain and enters the local water supply untreated.

Ultimately, this compromises the filtered water we use on a daily basis like bathing, cooking, and drinking. To resolve this, volunteers worked together to raise awareness about the issue by marking each storm drain. While some are aware of the local water supply’s filtration process, many are unaware of the untreated stormwater that enters it. This poses a major health concern for the towns depending on water from these local rivers and streams. 

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WeLoveU Is Here to Help

Around sixty volunteers arrived at the location, dividing into nine groups spanning over four neighborhoods. The City of Huntersville supplied the volunteers with 150 decals to place on each storm drain. The WeLoveU members dispersed and set out to their assigned neighborhoods. One by one, they placed the decals on each drain they could find.

Intrigued, neighbors came outside their houses. They began chatting with the volunteers and asking about their volunteer service. Even those driving in the area noticed and stopped by to ask what they were doing. They fully supported WeLoveU’s efforts upon learning about the stormwater issue.

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A representative from the City of Huntersville said, “We really appreciate your hard work and efforts. I hope that we can continue to work together in the future.”

In the end, the members of the WeLoveU Foundation expressed their happiness to promote a better environment for the community. This volunteer activity is part of WeLoveU’s Clean World Movement—a worldwide effort to raise awareness of the importance of environmental protection in the face of climate change.