Spring has sprung in Shippensburg, and rather than enjoy the flowers around campus, some students are kneeling next to storm drains. You may have seen them on campus the last few weeks, sporting hi-vis vests and wielding angle grinders or caulk guns.
If you take a closer look at the drains they were working on, you will see some colorful new additions. Volunteers have installed ceramic discs in a variety of colors stamped with one of eight designs and the tagline “Drains to Stream — Keep it Clean.”
They are designed to raise awareness that stormwater, which is often contaminated with gasoline, antifreeze, lubricants and litter, drains directly into local waterways.
The discs were designed and manufactured by SU ceramics professor Ben Culbertson and his wife Gail. As part of an initiative by the Middle Spring Watershed Association (MWSA), they are being installed on hundreds of storm drains across Shippensburg.
According to Sean Cornell, MWSA president and SU associate professor of earth science, the tile project has been in the works for more than a year. Students began mapping storm drains across town last spring using a custom tool. While Cornell and his students analyzed the data, the Culbertsons got to work pressing, glazing and firing the tiles.
On April 6, Gail Culbertson braved the rain to install some of the final tiles on campus. She was joined by Kylan Lamke and Whitney Hunter, two students in Cornell’s Geology 101 course. “Thanks to these students, I’m getting done in no time,” Gail Culbertson said.
This is not the first time Shippensburg’s storm drains have had this sort of tile installed. A group of SU art department faculty and local high school students came together in 2009 to install square tiles featuring the association’s logo with a trout across town.
In the years since installation, many of those original tiles have disappeared. Cracking, snowplows, and general wear-and-tear have chipped away at the tiles over time.
While some of the square tiles are still visible around town, concerned citizens thought it was time to replicate the program. Thanks to a grant from the Cumberland County Conservation District, they have been able to renew the project.
This is, however, the first time the tiles have been installed on campus, Cornell said. Several hundred tiles will be installed by June 2025, and an information kiosk is planned to be built in the Middle Spring Greenway near the Jeffrey W. & Jo Anne R. Coy Public Library downtown.
According to Cornell, the MWSA’s mission is twofold. First, they serve as advocates for the health and sustainability of the local waterways, protecting the water and wildlife in and around the water. The second part of the mission is to provide people with a better understanding and connection to the watershed.
Tiles are also available for sale, with proceeds going to the MWSA. More information can be found at https://facebook.com/MiddleSpringWatershed.
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