CURIOUS about all the yellow fish painted on roads throughout Surrey? They are part of Surrey’s Salmon Tracks program and their purpose is to educate the public about the risks of toxic substances entering storm drains, which flow into creeks, waterways, and ultimately, the ocean.
From now to August 15, the City is hosting the Storm Drain Marking Challenge to engage the community in a fun, family friendly initiative to help spread the word that fish and streams are directly impacted by pollutants that go into storm drains. To join the Challenge, residents can visit any participating recreation centre to pick up a kit and paint yellow fish at storm drains throughout the summer.
“I’m excited to invite our residents to join the Storm Drain Challenge and make a difference in protecting our waterways,” said Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke on Friday. “With the stroke of a brush, you can help protect our fish-bearing streams. The Storm Drain Challenge is a fun and simple way to make your lasting mark on the City. Let’s work together to make Surrey a cleaner and more sustainable place for future generations.”
There are tens of thousands of storm drains around the City and more than 3,550 drains have been marked in past challenges. The Storm Drain Challenge is part of the City of Surrey’s Salmon Tracks storm drain marking program in partnership with Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
For a list of participating recreation centres, a map of storm drains and more, visit surrey.ca/salmontracks.