Penn State Berks teams with Reading Public Works to prevent storm drain pollution
Penn State Berks students teamed up with the City of Reading Public Works Department to implement projects that will inform residents about the harmful effects of dumping chemicals and litter into the storm drains leading into the Schuylkill River.
The students were enrolled in two courses: Environmental Science taught by Mahsa Kazempour and Introductory Painting taught by Danielle D’Aries.
Eight students in the Environmental Science courses researched the effects of chemicals and litter going into storm drains on natural waterways, including the Schuylkill River, and the effect on the entire food chain. Then they took action by stenciling 44 storm drains near 5th and Penn streets in Reading. The stencil, which reads, "No Dumping, Drains to River" in both Spanish and English, informs residents that what goes down the drains ends up in the Schuylkill River.