Now Complete! UpStream Art's 10th Anniversary Mural
Springfield’s newest storm drain mural is here! Installed on August 28, 2025, at Guy Lee Elementary on Harlow Road, this 50-foot artwork marks the 10th anniversary of the UpStream Art storm drain mural project.
Designed by local artist Rae Matagora, the mural tells the story of stormwater in Springfield from rain, to runoff, to rivers, alongside colorful, water-loving creatures. Because water resources are connected and important for life: that’s why we “Keep it Clean from Street to Stream.” It’s the largest UpStream Art mural to date and the first to be installed using thermoplastic, which is the durable material commonly used for road markings.
Our City traffic crew installed the mural before sunrise, piecing it together like a giant puzzle and sealing it with heat and grit for traction. Watch the video below to see the mural come to life!
Check out the 41 murals in our collection!
UpStream Art is paid for through stormwater user fees (not taxes). It helps the City meet federal, state, and local rules that require us to educate the public about stormwater. Since everyday behaviors are the main source of stormwater pollution, we’re required to share how to prevent it. UpStream Art is one way to spread that message—while also supporting local artists and cleaner rivers.
It’s up to all of us to keep pollution from building up in our neighborhoods and washing into the storm drains. Thank you for doing your part to protect our water and rivers.
Virtual Tour
Take a virtual tour of all 41 UpStream Art murals across Springfield. See every mural, artist, and location in our collection.
About UpStream Art
UpStream Art background
Since 2016, UpStream Art has been run by the City of Springfield’s Stormwater Team. The project supports local artists and helps protect water quality by installing murals near storm drains. These murals remind us that our streets and rivers are directly connected through the stormwater system.
In late winter or early spring, a Call To Artists invites painters to submit design ideas. A panel of judges selects the winners, and the murals are painted during a two-day event. You can view them all through the UpStream Art Virtual Tour. UpStream Art Virtual Tour.
These murals start conversations and remind us that storm drains lead straight to our rivers. Springfield’s stormwater system was built by earlier generations to prevent flooding, but it does not clean the water before it reaches the river. That’s why it’s important to keep oil, soap, trash, and other pollutants off paved surfaces and out of storm drains or open water channels.
1) We value Springfield's waterways.
2) We support the arts and artists.
Artists bring meaning and creativity into our everyday lives. We proudly pay every UpStream Art artist for their work. Their murals inspire us, spark conversations, attract visitors, and make Springfield a more beautiful place to live.
What is stormwater?
As Springfield has grown, more land has been covered with buildings, streets, and parking lots. These solid surfaces change where water flows when it rains.
Normally, rain soaks into the ground. But when the ground is covered, rain runs off instead. That runoff flows along gutters, in storm drains, through pipes, along open water channels – all part of the stormwater system – and ends up in the Willamette or McKenzie river.
As the rainwater flows over pavement, it picks up pollution along the way, such as:
- Oil from vehicle leaks
- Misapplied fertilizers, weed killers, and pesticides
- Zinc from moss treatments
- Soap and grease from car washing
- Trash, cigarette butts, and debris
All of these can harm fish, wildlife, and our water supplies. That’s why we say: “Only rain down the storm drain!”
To learn more about how you can help prevent water pollution, read this Prevent Stormwater Pollution resource and check out our Clean Water at A Glance factsheets.
Contact Us
- For general information, please contact the City of Springfield’s Stormwater Team at WaterResources@springfield-or.gov or 541-726-3694.
- Artists interested in applying for the next UpStream Art mural painting project can either visit this webpage or the City of Springfield’s Facebook page in mid-July 2026, or can click the button below to sign up to receive emailed updates. A panel of judges selects our winners and those artists are paid for installing their paintings.
