you may have seen storm drains around Fort Wayne that are marked by a medallion and may be highlighted by local art.

It's a visual reminder that what goes down those storm drains goes directly and untreated into Fort Wayne's Three Rivers educating the community on only rain and the drain has required some creative communications and a unique collaboration between the city of Fort Wayne, a local nonprofit and area artists.

And we'll talk with members of the Clean Drain's Fort Wayne B. River Smart Initiative on tonight's Time.

>> Good evening.

Glad you're here.

I'm Bruce Haines and with us today in studio is Irene Walters.

She is co-chair of the Clean Drain's Fort Wayne and I'm also friends of the Rivers Board member.

>> Very big business with Irene is Jennifer Last.

She is program manager at Fort Wayne City Utility.

>> Alexandra Hall is here as well.

You know her she is an artist and public art consultant with a Public Spaces Consulting LLC.

>> And ladies, welcome to you all.

Thank you for being here.

>> Thank you.

Thank you.

Wonderful to be here.

It's terrific and you as well if you would like to join our conversation at any time you see the phone number there on the screen.

But let's let's start first with a little more than just the overview introduction.

Let's get to first of all friends of the Rivers.

We'd like to think we know what that means but who is this group and what's what do they do?

>> OK, we are a grassroots all volunteer nonprofit that was founded in twenty seventeen for the purpose of enhancing the value of our rivers and getting the community to really appreciate how important it is because you know we don't have mountains and we don't have oceans but we have three treasures our rivers and we need to appreciate them, enjoy them and protect them and we have a map to show just how far and wide one could say the stewardship of this takes on.

Look at the size of the the area here.

I understand this is Jennifer like north of eight thousand square miles and is one of the largest watersheds in the Great Lakes area.

>> It is and as you can see, we are not the only portion of it.

Fort Wayne , we're a small portion of the MOMI watershed but it takes in a large area and flows to Lake all the way to Ohio.

>> So our rivers are long and fast and everything is connected.

You hear or see signs when you're when you're traveling as you're entering the Chesapeake Bay watershed or you're you're entering, you know, the Delaware Bay or the Hudson Bay and they all everything that starts has a headwaters component to it and in our case with the confluence of the rivers, it is a literal pay it forward kind of daily mission for the group and then with city utilities certainly all along that route to Lake Erie is being monitored by some branch of national or local government.

You have that component but what else is going on in addition to the logistics of delivering water to my faucet when I need it?

>> Well, we're in city utilities has a large area that we cover most of our infrastructure as I'm sure you're aware is underground and unseen and you take for granted when you turn on the tap that you get clean drinking water and as you flush the toilet the waste goes away and the other third component of city utilities is our storm drains and our stormwater.

So as water flows across the road it goes into storm drains.

The graded opening's flows through a pipe and then out into the river and that water receives no treatment.

And what's really important is that our drinking water comes from the St. Joe River.

So you want to keep that water clean and the water that is leaving Fort Wayne goes to other drinking water facilities.

So our whole area all the way to Lake Erie in Ohio is really impacted by the storm drains in the storm sewer system.

>> We have some some video of how you take this idea and share it out in the community in public settings and in the classroom as well.

I used to think of these as a we'll get to the diorama.

This is the adult version.

This always reminds me of what happens in just about every neighborhood in town.

What doesn't seem to happen is I think everyone believes the other household is going to figure out how to free the tree.

What's going on here?

>> Absolutely.

So what we have here is a demonstration of a storm drain.

That's what's under that pile of debris and so we have water as it rains will flow across the surface into the storm drains where it's going to go to our rivers and creeks and as that water really builds up, if you get leaves or other debris on it, it's going to really flood the streets and it could flood your little neighborhood.

So what you really want to do is safely stand in your park strip and like they were showing, Rick, the debris off of that inlet and you can throw that in the trash or rake it into your park strip, let it dry out and then put it in the trash but really just leave the storm drain and then all the water will start to go back into the drains and then the classroom idea an additional video.

Let's hear a little bit of that now because we had the honor of having clean drains friends of the rivers out at our Explorer Day event and it's it's a what they're a cross section of our community and tell me what is being demonstrated here.

>> So this is a nice Hands-On activity.

It shows a watershed which is just an area of land that drains a common water body and we're fortunate enough that this watershed has three rivers on it, this plastic demonstration.

And so we educate kids by letting them pick pollutants.

You have pet waste oil from leaking cars and they put little drops on the watershed model and then we have the rain cloud to let it rain.

You can wash those pollutants flow into our water bodies and so it just shows how we're all connected and we try to make the connection of what you can do to prevent that from happening because it would be much easier to prevent it from from getting into our waterways than trying to clean it up afterwards so way she can pick up after fix your leaking cars or parked them inside so you can clean up those leaks grass clippings will get sprayed along the road when you're mowing you want to blow those back into your lawns and pick up after those.

>> I think for I wonder I should say how for many folks if it's out of sight.

Out of mind.

Oh look dream yes.

Mm hmm.

And same I I'm assuming there's a call to arms with Prince to the Prince of the Rivers at some point in all this because it's motivated.

>> Right.

So we decided to take the story of the humble storm drain, pair it with art public art to stimulate awareness and action.

And so art speaks much more than words and that is how we got Alex involved and how our whole now we have almost a hundred storm drain murals that tell the story of only rain and rain.

>> And Alex, what was it like to get the phone call that day?

>> Oh my goodness.

Irene is such a mastermind of of just getting to the public and making sure that people are aware and when she has a mission she goes for it.

And I just so admire her passion.

So when I got the call and the biggest question was how do we make these last how do we start this idea?

Who do we talk to?

What are the artists going to do?

What are going to get paid?

We've always paid the artists the whole time so really it was just ultimately exciting and a bit of a journey I would say our first year was a bit of a Beita.

We weren't quite sure what products we should use.

We weren't entirely certain how it was going to look and it's all worked out.

>> Yeah.

And so what is the it the idea that we have a medallion that I understand when a drain is properly prepared and stewarded and so on it can be the proud owner of that right there which we will be able to read again friends of the rumors only rain in the drain save our rivers which is absolutely correct but then it's the drain is embellished in some incredible there's another shot of the drain after being prepped and so forth and city utilities will go around and I guess you had to help coordinate the where the sites in town because Fort Wayne is kind of large.

>> There's there are a whole lot of drains going on.

What was so there's some coordination that alone.

>> Oh they did.

They are the most amazing partner and Jennifer, I could not say enough about both of these people.

They don't stop working but they prepared each of the sites power watch them so that the artists could start up with a clean slate and then they put barricades around to protect the artists while they were painting and they're just doing everything for us preparing when we talk about later our community action day they're getting that already.

But this is really what is important about the medallion after we clean the debris is that it's a reminder to the community it's in your face there when you see it only rain in the drain, no trash, no dog wastes, no chemicals, only rain.

So this is what is a lasting reminder to people to make sure they keep their drains clean and on the way to carrying this idea forward in a clever creative way, something that is unexpected grabs your attention .

>> What was it like to try to find the artists who could, you know, join forces and paint palettes and make this reality right.

>> So once we knew the type of product that we are going to use and we need specific products that would last we were in a position to put a call out to artists to ask them to kind of interpret this concept.

We know that art is a really powerful mechanism for education and really ultimately it's the creatives that are then able to take that message and and make it their own.

And we had one thing we asked them to make sure to add some sort of educational verbiage to their design and then there were applications put out and artists submitted many different concept ideas and we've every year had something different and exciting and they're pretty consistently reminding us only rain in the rain.

>> I think it had to be fun to be on the receiving end of those proposals whether they were in draft or sketch or something.

It's always a smile maker when you have even a chock-a-block or another Plesner of it or something.

But this is really out there in the in the daylight and the probably the best way to share this with you is to bring some of these slides forward some of the creative endeavor that has been put forth and you mentioned as to this is a three year undertaking and this is the third year how did it get to be year three or it really does give somebody a paintbrush person they're there on it.

>> Let's let's share some of those slides of if you will, works completed and works that are in process and as we're as we're doing that, what were the guidelines that that you were having to share with so we learned early on that you have to let concrete care for a while before you're able to have paint here correctly.

We also had to establish pretty strict rules as to the process of application.

So corralling artists became now my third year of doing that and ultimately we were really careful not to paint other infrastructure.

We didn't paint the drains directly.

We didn't paint brick.

We really only painted the sidewalk and we also attempted to make sure that as much of the text as possible is facing the pedestrian in the sidewalk as opposed to facing out to the street.

So these were some of the basic guidelines but we we did hope to not restrict them too much and really make them fun and playful.

You'll often see like there is a piece in front of the embassy that artists knew the location and so they did a work that embodies theater and so voting cap space kind of they did the same thing.

They had a baseball player near the drain so they each found a creative way based on their location to maybe call to the area it was in and not just celebrate the waterways but also the theme in that in that particular block.

>> Yeah.

And in this then it gets people talking which I'm sure was one of the hopes the buzz right.

And the mantra everybody talks about only rain in the drain simple and you can remember it and Jennifer what do you think we think on the I think I get it meter where is the needle.

>> Oh it's really exciting to have people give you that aha moment where they were really understanding they see the artwork and oh OK. That's why I should care about what goes into this drain and it's amazing how often you'll find that people think that those drains are going somewhere where they're going to be treated and that's not unlike your indoor plumbing that will go to the wastewater plant to be treated.

But these storm drains do not and so they see the artwork and it's just fun to really watch people take that all in and a part of city utilities is that so much of our infrastructure is underground and what we do is unseen that our staff are seeing the murals and seeing the public's interaction with them and it's really it just gives you a really good feeling to see that OK, this is what we do.

You know, we take care of these drains and now the public will see that and take care of them as well please.

>> One of the important components is training the next generation of river keepers or river protectors and we have a very exciting program the dumpster drummers.

There are two men who are edutainment.

They're educators and they're musicians and they come into the classroom beating on these garbage cans.

>> Everything's about recycling and they really stimulate and motivate the kids.

And when kids get motivated, you know, then the parents have to get to so they are lots of schools are adopting doing drains and marking the drains all around the school as are youth groups and it's really become a movement that is a friendly reminder to about the kids that have been created these for for family or community sharing as well.

>> Tell me about those.

Yeah, so families can go to clean drains for Weinberg and sign up to be a drain stormer and what we have in our kids here are the brush that you'll brush the debris off of the sidewalk where you're going to put medallion not the whole sidewalk and then to get your medallions.

>> So we have how much a lot of sweeping.

So we have twelve medallions and a kit with the two of adhesive.

That's how many will adhere to those twelve and you're just going to apply the adhesive in a circular pattern use quite a bit because this you'll have plenty of adhesive there and then you just apply that to the sidewalk push down till you see a little bit come out the edges.

So it's a simple process.

We have the instructions there with it and it just really encourages people to go out and mark the drains so that you see this when you walk by and it's so bright and colorful it will draw the attention.

>> Yeah, the one other thing that we don't put in these kits but we are going to in our day of clean drains day is a garbage can because we've worked our whole committee was challenged to each of us lay down our mark one hundred drains and so when we did this we were given garbage hands and gloves because you have to clean there is a lot of debris and you really see why this is so necessary because of course it goes down into the rivers untreated but it also is disgusting around the neighborhoods all that litter.

>> So it's really a win win if you do this.

>> And you had mentioned too with so much of your city utilities happening underground, it's good that we have something above ground to get together at least once a year and that is the clean drains first this most recent experience we can put the particulars up on the screen.

>> This is going to be then year three I assume right coming soon.

>> OK, more so September twenty third is the big day in Fort Wayne because in the morning it's clean the drains day which means everybody who gets online and signs up will get a t shirt and a kit to go and clean their drains.

That's in the morning from one o'clock to four o'clock is clean drains best.

So first we work and then we get rewarded by a big party where we celebrate the rivers.

>> It's World Rivers Day and the whole world is paying tribute to Rivers and we're doing it in our own way and this year and Alex we'll talk about this we are dedicating a wall legacy mural that she is painting right near the river at say at the St. Mary's River first and then there's music and boat rides and participatory activities in the river spectator activities and clowns and hula Hoopers and jugglers and food trucks.

>> It's a party.

It's a celebration.

So it's a day to remember it would seem to of the mural.

It's another edutainment kind of moment, right?

Exactly.

So we two fold actually this year we did not just drain murals applications but we also did apprentice applications.

So we allowed for a group of artists who are interested in bulking up the resume to apply to acts as apprentices and installing this work.

So we will soon be announcing those apprentices who will be working on the mural with me and then we also within the actual artwork have outlined some themes to continue this legacy to continue this education initiative so we will not reveal the design but you can know that it will have a lot of themes that interlace the last three years and the mission of this clean drains all of it and it's all being done too.

>> We should give attention to to where it is.

It is also due and that is the edutainment that's involved in a little little tiny critter who has become a very friendly otter to the collaboration.

>> This is in fact friendly the otter.

How did he get into this big well he's our mascot who goes around to the schools and gives the message and elsewhere too.

And the important thing to remember is otters only live in clean water and right now our rivers are clean enough for otters to live in plus the water our water which is such a bragging point is the fourth best water in the whole world tasting water right.

Fourth, it is sixth and then fifth.

And so we have to give kudos to our filtration plant for doing the whole right formula to make it so delicious.

>> Absolutely.

But particularly in this season of hydration we're going to the to literally tap the tap more frequently than anything further.

We did show the the details of the clean drains first.

We also would like to share with you a little thirty second announcement that ties it all in with activity that makes the weekend of the twenty third of September an even more exciting reason to be in Fort Wayne .

>> Take a look come out and celebrate our rivers that sweet breeze fast and clean drains fast on Saturday September 24th and Sunday September 25th and Promenade Part enjoy a guided tour of our rivers on the sweet breeze the city's replica canal boat The Family Fun and Games starts on Saturday at five p.m.

The evening's highlight is the showing of the movie Finding Nemo and Sunday starting at noon enjoy an afternoon of live music river activities storm drain artists meet and greet and so much more.

>> And remember when it comes to our storm drains only rain in the drain so in fact a good idea should have a second chance.

>> That was last year.

>> Special announcements are just subtract one and you'll be right on time for September 2013.

Exactly.

Just your show up on the twenty second and be a day early.

Just don't show up on the twenty fifth and and you'll miss the whole the whole experience.

Let me ask each of you this question.

Be curious in this who what would you like to have folks walk away with either from this three year initiative or from the drain fest.

I'm sure at this point it's kind of become a little personal around the edges for each of you.

>> And Irene, let me start with you.

What what what do you hope sticks?

I think the fact that people should appreciate that we have three rivers that there's so many cities that don't have enough water and countries like Africa we have three treasures that we have to really take care of and protect and if they get that, that's the best job.

>> How about you?

I would like people to walk away with the thought that their individual impacts can have a huge impact on the community if they walk past a storm drain that's dirty they can pick it up and clean it, take ownership for that.

>> And if everybody does that then what do you know?

We have a clean city and Alex oh goodness.

>> Well, I've had such fun doing this project.

I think one of my favorite things to say when I do Public Art Tours and I'm by Adrien is there's not little elves down there cleaning it before it goes into our waterways.

So please be sure not to to pollute or litter but I also agree so much with Jennifer and that I hope that the artists in this community understand the impact that their creative talent can have in education and also just making this city a better place.

>> And I would think that a lot of this is replicable if that's the big word I'm looking for that if you're watching us tonight and you're in Huntington or you're in La Grange or you're up and Stuben County or you're we're all very close together and any of the communities within the sounds of our voices could could perhaps find a version of this too to adopt and take on some of them have reached out.

>> Huntington Hoagland We've given kits there too.

So you know, it's the whole region and the whole world needs to take care of storm drains and appreciate and enjoy the rivers.

That's another thing our community rivers are a magnet for gathering for recreating in but also from meditating around walking they're just beautiful and we need to keep them that way and as we know to if we're for tourism, for that economic development, for creating the sense of place and you may end up going to a second page to keep writing down the attributes of all of these things that these are literally investments.

These are the sweat equity investments that don't take a lot of sweat except on a date July might be a little bit awkward.

>> Any additional thoughts on the state where you feel you are in year three?

Looking back on year one, are you finding that the boxes you were hoping to check have been accomplished?

>> I think so and I think that if the community comes out for Community Action Day September twenty third to show that they really care about their rivers and clean them, that would be the testament of up for you Jennifer.

>> I was just going to say the same thing to come out go to clean drains Fort Wayne big sign up to be a drain stormer you'll get your kids on September 14th and 15th and then really rally on the twenty third to clean our drains and then party.

>> Yeah and certainly art brings everybody together so exactly.

>> Yeah so we have the party but I think also even if you are a family and you want to do your neighborhood we encourage people to do some chocolate around the drains, take photos, share that message on social media with family, let them know be the ambassador for the waterways.

That's kind of something that you can do that's creative that continues this mission long past these murals.

>> Exactly.

Love it and we'll go out on that.

And a reminder to you saw the contact information.

We'll share that again and circle September twenty third for clean drains first and we hope to see you there.

There's Friends of the Rivers Fort Wayne , there's their side as well and with us from friends to the rivers, Irene Walters, co chairwoman of Clean Drains Fort Wayne and friends support member Jennifer Lasch, program manager with City Utilities and Alexandria Hall artist and public art consultant.

>> Thank you ladies very, very.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you.

Thank you as well for allowing us to be a part of your evening for all of us with prime time I'm bruisings.

Take care.

We'll see you soon.