Children’s Poster Contest Raises Awareness on Water Pollution

Kids, get your crayons, markers and colored pencils ready to illustrate how you can “Be a Solution to Water Pollution.”

Children can help raise awareness about water pollution and win prizes by entering the 2011 “Be a Solution to Water Pollution” poster and coloring contest. This county–wide contest is organized by the Osage Valley Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council and is sponsored by Sonic and Walmart in an effort to educate residents on the importance of water quality.

Water quality can be negatively affected by nonpoint source (NPS) pollution. NPS pollution occurs when rainfall or snowmelt picks up pollutants as it runs across the ground surface and deposits those pollutants in our rivers and lakes. Because most stormdrains in Bates County flow directly into streams rather than treatment facilities, there is no cleaning process to remove trash, motor oil, pet waste and other pollutants before they enter the bodies of water we use for fishing, swimming, and even drinking.

Children up to 8 years old can enter the coloring contest by picking up a printed poster at the RC&D office, located upstairs in the Butler City Hall, or the local USDA Service Center. Children ages 9 to 12 can also pick up blank poster paper and associated rules for the themed poster contest. Contest submissions must be turned in by Monday, August 22nd at the RC&D office or at the local USDA Service Center.

All poster submissions will be on display at the Bates County Watershed Festival on August 27th at the Butler City Park, where winners will be announced at noon. Prizes will be given to the top three posters in each category. The Bates County Watershed Festival is associated with the Mound Branch Watered Evaluation and Restoration Project partially funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7 through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act.

In addition to the announcement of the winning posters, the August 27 watershed festival will include performances by The Fishin’ Magicians, water slides and games, interactive exhibits and food vendors. Information will also be on hand about cost-share programs available to implement agricultural and urban best management practices at home, on the farm, or at work to help reduce pollution in Bates County’s streams and rivers.

For more information about the contest or the watershed festival, contact Osage Valley RC&D’s Mound  Branch office at (660) 679-4332 or visit our website at www.osagevalleyrcd.com.