April is proclaimed Stormwater Awareness month by the City of Las Vegas and City of Henderson. Stormwater Awareness Month was kicked-off April 4th, 2008 during a Stormwater Inlet Marking Program ceremony held at Mandalay Bay. Representatives from Clark County, City of Las Vegas, City of Henderson, Clark County Department of Air Quality and Environmental Management, Conservation District of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas Wash Coordination Committee, Stormwater Quality Management Committee, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Regional Flood Control District, Southern Nevada Water Authority, and Mandalay Bay Shark Reef Aquarium attended the ceremony..

Initiated by the Conservation District of Southern Nevada and led by the Stormwater Quality Management Committee, the Stormwater Inlet Marking Program will place eight thousand "DON'T POLLUTE - DRAINS TO LAKE MEAD, NO CONTAMINE! SE VA AL LAGO MEAD" bilingual plastic plaques that will adhered to the sidewalk above stormwater inlets and drainages in Clark County. This program will also address some of the stormwater inlets that were not labeled during the previous Plaque Attack Campaign in 1999. The purpose of the Stormwater Inlet Marking Program is to revive a multi-agency effort to raise awareness of the importance of stormwater quality protection.

The goal of the inlet marking marking program is to remind people that any toxic materials dumped into the storm drains will be channeled to Lake Mead, Southern Nevada's primary source of drinking water. The effort is necessary to prevent pollution from petroleum products, paint, pesticides, fertilizers, and litter. Having this message at the stormwater inlets helps the pubic make the connection between the water that flows into the basins and the water that will eventually be pumped from Lake Mead to their faucet.

The Stormwater Inlet Marking Program is funded through a grant awarded the Conservation District of Southern Nevada by the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and contributions from local partners.

View a slide presentation of the event (pdf)
Courtesy of the Conservation District of Southern Nevada