Yellow Fish Road Program is a nation wide environmental education initiative, designed and managed by Trout Unlimited Canada. Thousands of Canadians have already participated. TUC is a non-profit organization that want to make sure that our kids will be able to enjoy Canada's freshwater resources. The goal of Yellow Fish is to raise awareness about the pollution in our lakes, rivers and streams.
Volunteers can go to the city and pick up a kit containing a stencil, paint, paint roller, a small brush, a garbage bag, a pylon, door tags, and safety vests. Then they pick an area and paint yellow fish along with the words "RAINWATER ONLY" beside storm drains. Others in the group go door to door and hang the door tags on door knobs. These tags explain the program to the people living near the storm drains with yellow fish painted beside them. There should also be someone who carries the garbage bag and picks up any garbage they see.
The main point of the program is to explain to people that there is a difference between storm drains and sewers. Storm drains are the square grates on the side of the road that drain water off the road when it rains really heavily instead of flooding the street. These drains go straight from the road to the nearby water source; in Hespeler it's the Speed River. Sewers on the other hand, go to the local water treatment plant to be treated and then sent to our homes as clean tap water. Sewers are a different underground pipe system and are under those circular man-holes in the middle of the road, they are NOT the same as storm drains. Lots of people think that the square storm drains are sewers and sometimes dump harsh chemicals into them thinking that it will go to the treatment plant, but it doesn't.
I have done this project a couple times now with scouts. If my friends ask about it I try to explain it but they don't seem to understand that there is a difference between storm drains and sewers, and some just don't care at all. The ones that don't care act like the Speed River being polluted isn't their problem.....but it is! It is everyone's responsibility to care for the environment if they want to be able to drink clean water, or go camping or to a cottage, or breathe clean air.
Volunteers can go to the city and pick up a kit containing a stencil, paint, paint roller, a small brush, a garbage bag, a pylon, door tags, and safety vests. Then they pick an area and paint yellow fish along with the words "RAINWATER ONLY" beside storm drains. Others in the group go door to door and hang the door tags on door knobs. These tags explain the program to the people living near the storm drains with yellow fish painted beside them. There should also be someone who carries the garbage bag and picks up any garbage they see.
The main point of the program is to explain to people that there is a difference between storm drains and sewers. Storm drains are the square grates on the side of the road that drain water off the road when it rains really heavily instead of flooding the street. These drains go straight from the road to the nearby water source; in Hespeler it's the Speed River. Sewers on the other hand, go to the local water treatment plant to be treated and then sent to our homes as clean tap water. Sewers are a different underground pipe system and are under those circular man-holes in the middle of the road, they are NOT the same as storm drains. Lots of people think that the square storm drains are sewers and sometimes dump harsh chemicals into them thinking that it will go to the treatment plant, but it doesn't.
I have done this project a couple times now with scouts. If my friends ask about it I try to explain it but they don't seem to understand that there is a difference between storm drains and sewers, and some just don't care at all. The ones that don't care act like the Speed River being polluted isn't their problem.....but it is! It is everyone's responsibility to care for the environment if they want to be able to drink clean water, or go camping or to a cottage, or breathe clean air.