OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Keep Omaha Beautiful partnered with the City of Omaha Public Works Department to create three new stormwater art pieces Sunday, aiming to raise awareness about stormwater pollution through eye-catching public art.
The installations, located from the Old Market to the CHI Health Center, are designed to educate the public about water quality issues and encourage people to think about where water goes and what actions they can take to make a difference.
"Not a lot of people know that there's no filters on our storm drains so whatever enters it actually goes into our local waterways and our rivers, then goes downstream right? So, that can be concerning if people are dumping things, if there's litter," said Pearl Rothenberger, Keep Omaha Beautiful volunteer and community engagement manager.
According to Keep Omaha Beautiful, stormwater pollution is one of the top causes of water quality issues in Nebraska. The organization drew inspiration for the project from other successful stormwater art installations across the country.
Artist Eduardo Gardea explained the concept behind the artwork.
"The idea behind it was to encapsulate how we pour into ourselves and how we pour into our communities and how what we pour into ourselves and our communities does end up coming back to us in some form," Gardea said.
To learn more about the project and locations of art, visit Keep Omaha Beautiful's webpage here.
