Bishop Savaryn School Environment Page
Welcome to Bishop Savaryn School's Environment Page. This site will feature many exciting and educational environmental projects in which you and/or your school can participate. If you wish to contact this page's webmaster, please email naporae@ecsd.net.
Yellow Fish Road
The main focus of the Yellow Fish Road program is the painting of storm drains in your community. Yellow fish symbols are painted beside storm sewer drains to remind people that unwanted household products (paint thinner, used motor oil, cleaners, leftover paint, garbage, pesticides, ...) should not be dumped down curbside drains. These products enter a storm sewer drain, flow through underground storm pipes, and end up in streams or the North Saskatchewan River. The chemicals in these products harm fish and other aquatic life. They also contaminate our city's source of drinking water.
What is The Storm Sewer System?
The storm sewer system in Edmonton is designed to reduce the risk of flooding during severe rain storms. Unlike the sanitary sewer system, which takes sewage from your home to a treatment plant, the storm sewer system is not connected to a treatment plant; water is discharged directly into the North Saskatchewan River.
How did this program start?
The Yellow Fish Road program was initiated by Trout Unlimited Canada in Calgary. With the support of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (Central and Arctic Region), this water quality initiative is now expanding across Canada. The City of Edmonton, in cooperation with Trout Unlimited Canada and Girl Guides of Canada, adopted the program in 1993. Since then, thousands of storm drains have been marked with the Yellow Fish Symbol.
What are the objectives of this program?
The students will be able to:
Describe the importance of river ecosystems and river water.
Discuss the importance of the North Saskatchewan River to Edmontonians.
Describe the effect of water pollution on various users.
Identify common types of water pollutants.
Discuss the effect of these pollutants on river ecosystems.
Describe Edmonton's storm drainage system.
Explain that materials flowing into storm drains flow directly into the North Saskatchewan River without being treated.
Explain that household hazardous wastes (paint, antifreeze, oil) entering storm drains are major sources of river pollution.
Identify a number of home hazardous wastes.
Perform a home hazardous waste audit to identify hazardous wastes used by their family.
Identify appropriate disposal methods for home hazardous wastes.
What preparations did this activity involve?
Pick up painting supplies and teacher materials at least three days before activity date.
Divide the class into groups of six - two painters, two safety people, two people to drop off door hangers to homes in the area. Each group needs an adult supervisor.
Provide each group with a map of the area's storm drains. Highlight the area that each particular group is to paint.
Time frame: 2 hours.
* The teacher materials provide excellent preparatory instructions.
Pictures of Yellow Fish Road Activity.
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Establishing the safety area with pylons and preparing to paint.
Securing the fish stencil next to the storm drain. Painting the symbol on the road.
Attaching information "fish" to homes in the area. No door knob? No problem! The mailbox will do.
Feedback from grade 5B students...
This activity was fun. I enjoyed it! - Taryn
This activity was very interesting because it brought awareness to me and my family as to how important it is for us to keep our environment clean and safe. - Matteo
I really enjoyed this program! - Lomere
It was a great field trip. I hope we made a difference. - Eyad
I found that participating in the Yellow Fish Road program taught me not to vandalize the wetlands of Alberta. - Joey
Our group thought that this was a very fun and exciting field trip and a good way of showing what people are doing to animals' environment. Don't dump chemicals into the river system! - Michael
I really enjoyed taking part in this activity. It was fun but at the same time, we informed many people about saving the environment. - Jadran
This activity provided very important information for me and my family. The storm drains in our area empty right into Beaumaris Lake, right in "our own backyard"! We didn't know that! - Geraldine
How can your school get involved in this program?
Call Carol Ethier of Asset Management and Public Works, Drainage Services, at 496-2800.