Manhole Cover Contest to Protect the River

The Manhole Cover contest is a design for storm drain manhole covers that will be installed on all city-owned storm drains. The contest is a joint effort between Texas State University and the city of San Marcos hoping to shed light on the impact that storm water pollutants such as oil from roads, pet waste, cigarette buds, lawn fertilizers, and construction sediment can directly have unwanted impact on our rivers, wildlife, and most of all quality of life.

Lisa Arceneaux, from Texas State’s Hazardous Waste Management tells us the main goal of the contest.

“The main goal of the contest is to reach out to the city of San Marcos residents and Texas State students to allow them to understand that the storm drains that we have in town drain directly into the river they don’t go to the waste water treatment plant like the sanitary sewer drains d,” said Arceneaux.

So we are hoping with art to get a message on the man hole covers that show this connection between storm drains and the river, that those two are connected.
-Lisa Arceneaux

The contest is open to all who live, work, and attend school in San Marcos. Designs will be accepted until November 1st. Judges will select four winning designs that best represent the intended water quality message and overall appearance. Winners will be selected from four different age groups; 10 and under, 11-13, 14-18, and 18 and older.  Winners from each age group will receive $50, and the overall winner will receive an extra $50 and will see his or her design on all new city-owned storm drain manhole covers.

Bradley Bain, KTSW News.