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KC Water Partners with Students to Raise Pollution Awareness during Drinking Water Week

Posted on May 10, 2019

(Kansas City, MO) – KC Water employees joined students at St. Elizabeth’s Catholic School in Kansas City Friday, May 10th, for a Storm Drain Marking and Litter Pick-Up during Drinking Water Week.

Litter can pose a threat to our water source and the easiest way for litter to get there is through storm drains. Many storm drains lead directly to creeks, streams, and rivers without treatment. That trash can clog storm drains and cause flooding problems. In addition, chemical pollutants can be carried into our waterways. Instead of decomposing, plastic breaks down into tiny pieces called micro-plastics which wildlife can ingest.

Each of us can do our part in protecting the source of our drinking water, the Missouri River, by putting trash where it belongs and pick up trash from where it shouldn’t be. During Drinking Water Week, KC Water employees and students from St. Elizabeth’s Catholic School marked over 50 storm drains in the surrounding neighborhood with the message, “No Dumping. Drains to Stream”. They also placed informational door hangers encouraging residents to help keep storm drains clean. The students then hosted a litter pick-up around the school to promote cleaner rivers and roadways.

This spring, KC Water volunteers and partners have been hard at work cleaning up areas around rivers and neighborhood storm drains. On April 22, 2019, volunteers from KC Water and KC Parks and Recreation joined to clean up Elmwood Avenue and 59th Street in celebration of Earth Day. On April 6th, KC Water volunteers participated in the annual Project Blue River Rescue where more than 900 volunteers from all over the area collected 500 tires and more than 20 tons of trash.

“The simplest way to look at pollution is ‘if it’s on the ground, it can end up in the water’. All creeks and streams in Kansas City eventually connect with the Missouri River, the source of our drinking water. Clean streets promote clean drinking water, but also increase property values, reduce flood risk, and improve human health,” said Lara Isch, KC Water Water Quality Educator

About Drinking Water Week:
For more than 40 years, American Water Works Association (AWWA) and its members have celebrated Drinking Water Week, a unique opportunity for both water professionals and the communities they serve to join together in recognizing the vital role water plays in daily lives.

Additional information about Drinking Water Week, including free materials for download and celebration ideas, is available on the Drinking Water Week webpage.

About AWWA:
Established in 1881, the American Water Works Association is the largest nonprofit, scientific and educational association dedicated to managing and treating water, the world’s most important resource. With approximately 50,000 members, AWWA provides solutions to improve public health, protect the environment, strengthen the economy and enhance our quality of life.
For more information, contact Heather Frierson, KC Water Media Relations Coordinator heather.frierson@kcmo.org, 816-513-0280, cell: 816-674-0211

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KC Water maintains and operates water treatment and distribution systems, stormwater management systems, and wastewater collection and treatment systems for residential and business customers in Kansas City and for wholesale customers in the Kansas City area. KC Water is primarily funded by fees charged to customers based on their use or impacts on the three utility systems.

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