What are those bright blasts of color appearing along gray stretches of concrete sidewalks in some areas of Little Rock? Has Banksy come to town?
Not exactly. Those cheery paintings on city storm drains, most with water-related themes, aren't graffiti. They're part of Central Arkansas Drain Smart, a 2-year-old public education and conservation program that uses the work of local artists to make a connection between street litter, storm drains and water quality.
The idea is to draw attention to a usually unnoticed piece of infrastructure so passers-by pause for a moment to think about where trash flows after it enters a drain. Hint: Storm drains are not part of the city's sanitary sewer system that leads to a wastewater treatment plant. All those leaves, soda bottles, plastic forks, fertilizer, motor oil, pet waste, grass clippings, and crumpled-up fast-food containers kicked or tossed into storm drains flow--unprocessed--into rivers and streams (including Fourche Creek and the Arkansas River), where they pile up on banks and taint water and vegetation.
The paintings, which can be seen around the Promenade at Chenal, along the streets in the River Market, on Center Street between Fourth and Seventh streets, on Main Street from 15th to 29th streets, and most recently along Kavanaugh Boulevard in Hillcrest, earn artists a stipend of $150 while providing them with basic paint supplies.
June 1, designated as Eco-Evening in Hillcrest, will give residents a chance to discuss some of the concepts illustrated by Storm Drain artists at Crest Park (on Kavanaugh between Beechwood and Palm streets) from 6-7:30 p.m. and learn a thing or two about the importance of keeping trash out of storm drains. To learn more visit www.drain-smart.org.
Editorial on 05/23/2017