Check out our four new UpStream Art murals! These colorful designs will live on Yolanda Ave. near 20th St. for years to come. It was a blast watching our four artists at work: Asante Riverwind, Barbara Counsil, Jennifer Reida, and Mike Brown. We loved hearing all the honking and compliments from passing vehicles!
The murals are a lasting reminder that, when it rains, all storm drains carry neighborhood pollution from the street to – in this case – the McKenzie River which is just a couple blocks away. Neighbors make a difference when they clean up vehicle leaks and pet waste, collect leaves and debris in the proper bin, and carefully apply any outdoor chemicals.
The fastest and most impactful choice is to stop covering your entire lawn in Weed & Feed. There’s several reasons the pros don’t do it that way. The best time for weeding isn’t the best time for feeding. Plus doing both at once isn’t the best use of your time, uses more product than you need, and is more pollution than needed to get on the feet of people and pets, and to wash into the water supply. Use only weed killer or only fertilizer, applying only where needed.
See all 37 murals in our UpStream Art collection at bit.ly/upstreamtour, or grab your friends and swing by any of the five locations.
UpStream Art is funded, not by taxes, but by stormwater user fees that are collected through your bill with Springfield Utility Board, which is the City’s stormwater billing agent. Part of the fee is earmarked by the federal Environmental Protection Agency to be spent on public education for stormwater. Of all the ways we could talk with our neighbors about preventing stormwater pollution, we love that UpStream Art brightens the City, attracts visitors, supports local art, and continually reminds us that clean streets add up to clean water supplies.
Every summer since 2016, the City of Springfield has commissioned artists to use their creativity and decorate our storm drains and walkways with beneficial messages. Currently there are 37 UpStream Art murals in the collection, located near Yolanda Elementary, downtown Springfield, at the Booth-Kelly Trailhead of the Mill Race path, near Willamalane’s Adult Activity Center at Island Park, and near Agnes Stewart Middle School.
For more information about the project, visit our UpStream Art page.
