Each year, the City of Sturgis kicks off the summer with Music on Main, a community event held every Wednesday, June 1 until July 20. The event includes streets lined with food trucks, vendors, and activities for all ages.

Our Spearfish team worked directly with the city to set up a booth every other week at Music on Main. The goal of the Interstate Engineering booth is to assist the city with its Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Outreach (MS4). MS4 communities are required to conduct community outreach to educate where the stormwater runoff goes and how pollutants and sediment affect the streams and rivers they enter.

Zach Grapentine and Dustin Williams, from the Spearfish office, participated in the event. Dustin Williams put together a model to educate youth about stormwater pollution prevention. Dustin demonstrated when soaps, degreasers, automotive fluid, etc., are washed down streets and go into local storm sewers, they combine in the catch basin creating a toxic combination.

While using the game Marble Run, Dustin placed various food-colored paper towels at several entry points and poured water into those points demonstrating colored water running through pipes. Each pipe led to a single point revealing a brown mixture that participants could visually see.

The team is planning more activities demonstrating runoff and sediment transport that will be fun for kids, along with coloring activities.