Eighth-graders roamed the streets of Granby on Thursday to spray-paint messages on roads \u2014 but not for the reason you might think.<\/p>\n
Students from East Grand Middle School stenciled messages around drains in Granby reading, \u201cNo Dumping, Drains to River,\u201d as part of an environmental education campaign.<\/p>\n
Grand County Water Information Network worked in collaboration with the eighth-graders to paint the anti-pollution messages, thanks to a grant received this spring from the Grand Foundation.<\/p>\n
The eighth-graders at East Grand have been studying pollution in class, and this project was a way for them to help the environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt protects our rivers and helps control pollution,\u201d said Ella Quesada, one of the students out Thursday morning. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t affect us as much because we\u2019re where the pollution starts, but it helps downstream mainly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Drains around Grand County all dump directly into nearby lakes, streams and rivers. The water is not cleaned before it empties into the waterways, meaning chemicals like lawn care byproducts, pet waste and auto oil get into the water and pollute the environment.<\/p>\n
Everyone in Ella\u2019s group agreed that the activity not only helped the environment, but was also a good way to leave school for a bit.<\/p>\n