Press Releases
Montgomery County Winners of 4th Annual Storm Drain Art Contest; Winning Artwork to be Painted on County Storm Drains in UpCounty
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Five winners of the Fourth Annual Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) 2019 Storm Drain Art Contest have been selected, with the winning entries to be painted on storm drains in the UpCounty area. The contest is part of the County’s efforts to educate residents on the importance of stormwater management and the connection between storm drains, County streams and the Chesapeake Bay.
The contest was hosted in partnership with the UpCounty Regional Services Center in collaboration with the County’s Department of Transportation, Montgomery Parks, the Muddy Branch Alliance and Seneca Creek Watershed Partners.
“We are excited to announce the winners of the 2019 Storm Drain Art Contest,” said Adam Ortiz, director of DEP. “The winning entries painted on local storm drains help educate Montgomery County residents that anything that ends on sidewalks and streets eventually will make its way to our rivers and streams. The artists use their creativity to express themselves and address the issue of litter. This is a low-cost creative solution that will be on display for many years to come.”
Two of the winning entries have already been painted on Germantown storm drains. Those paintings were applied in April, which was recognized as “Earth Month.” The other winning entries will be painted on storm drains in other UpCounty locations.
Winning entries in previous years were painted on storm drains near the White Oak Community Center, the Germantown Library and the Wheaton Urban District.
The 2019 winners were selected from 14 entries by a panel of judges and the public. Each entry included a short tagline or message related to the chosen theme. The contest was open to County residents of all ages.
The 2019 Storm Drain Art contest winners are:
- Environment and Youth (for ages 16 and under only): Meera Barochia for the entry “Save the Bay”
- Fight Litter: Natasha Isler for “Let’s Love the Bay – Fight Litter”
- Montgomery County Animals and Streams: Justin Hudis for “This Way Straight to Water Supply”
- Water: Alicia Wang for “Save the Bay to Save Us”
- People’s Choice: Rachel Robin for “Save the Bay or It Won’t Be There One Day”
"We love the idea of painting the storm drains,” said Tracy Rouleau, president of Muddy Branch Alliance. “Not only are they fun to look at, they are a great reminder that what goes into the storm drains does not just disappear—it continues to affect the environment downstream. We hope that painting the storm drains will educate our community about the impact that trash and litter, excess fertilizer and pesticides from lawns and gardens, and even driveway and road salts from winter storms, has on our local water quality—and how it all flows downstream and impacts the Bay."
For more information the storm drain art, visit: https://mygreenmontgomery.org/art.
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Media Contact: Neil H. Greenberger 240-777-6532