Carrollton First City in Metroplex to Paint Storm Drain Art

Winners of the City of Carrollton's inaugural Storm Drain Art Contest recently completed eye-catching designs adorning seven storm drain inlets spanning South Broadway Street in Downtown Carrollton.

Carrollton is the first City in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to implement a storm drain art program. From October through January, artists submitted designs that fit themes of preventing stormwater pollution, maintaining safe drinking water sources or water conservation, and protecting natural habitats. A committee made up of City staff and Downtown stakeholders selected six of the seven winning designs from the 22 total applicants, and community members voted on the seventh design as the People's Choice winner.

"Carrollton is proud to be the first City in the Metroplex to install art on storm drain inlets," Carrollton Mayor Steve Babick said. "Council's vision is for Carrollton to be the community that families and businesses want to call home and by involving local artists, Carrollton has brought together City resources and community talent to raise awareness for stormwater pollution and to expand art in Carrollton. I encourage residents and visitors to visit South Broadway Street and see the new art, then enjoy the shopping and dining Downtown has to offer."

Throughout March, the winning artists took to the streets of Downtown Carrollton to bring their designs to life. Using environmentally friendly acrylic paint, they brought bright colors, imagery of animals and natural environments, and even messages such as "water is life" and "only rain down the drain" to each storm inlet. City staff have applied a sealant over each design, preserving the art for years to come. A biography of each artist is also available on the City website.

Mother-daughter duo Kammie and Etta Powell were chosen as the People's Choice winner through a community voting process. The pair have always enjoyed going on "art walks" in Downtown Carrollton to tour the murals and sculptures. When brainstorming ideas, they took inspiration from a pond across from their church. After participating in the storm drain art contest, their rendering of a beautiful sunset over clear, blue water has become part of the art community in Downtown Carrollton.

"My daughter, Etta, and I love to create art, so we entered the Storm Drain Art Contest together," Powell said. "We wanted to represent a body of water within our beautiful green belt. The beauty of that pond reminded us of the importance of protecting our storm drains, and that's why we chose to paint it. We are both so excited for our art to be on display and to show friends and family whenever we go Downtown!"

The installation of storm drain art raises awareness about stormwater pollution. Water that collects in storm drains may pick up pollutants such as trash or vehicle fluid from the street, and then flow directly into creeks and surface water throughout the City. Painting the storm drains is not only a colorful art installation for the community to enjoy, but a reminder for everyone to help protect the local water supply and the environment.

"Since Carrollton is 'where connections happen,' the goal of storm drain art is to get people thinking about environmental connections," Andrea McClure, Carrollton's Stormwater Coordinator said. "When people see artwork of a turtle or a body of water, our hope is that they think about how the water that goes into storm drain inlets is directly connected to local surface water and wildlife habitats. We're all part of one ecosystem."

Visit Downtown Carrollton today to see how the project has transformed ordinary storm inlets into works of art and raised awareness about preventing stormwater pollution. Keep an eye out for when the City will begin accepting submissions this October for the second phase of storm drain art installation.

For more information and to read the artists' bios, find Storm Drain Art Contest at cityofcarrollton.com/stormwater.