FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 			February 23, 1996

Contact:	Kip Evans  (831) 647-4217

Storm Drains Can Kill

Most people know that storm drains transport runoff water quickly to the nearest water body to 
prevent flooding of city streets and sewage treatment plants.  What many people donêt realize is 
that potentially toxic pollutants ride along untreated directly into streams, rivers and ultimately into 
the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.  Storm drains carrying this water can pose threats to 
everything from human beings to local wildlife.

In an effort to educate the public about urban runoff pollution, the Monterey Bay National Marine 
Sanctuary office and other agencies are working together to build an outreach program that speaks 
to the average citizen.  In doing this, they have developed a dramatic new poster that relays the 
importance of preventing storm drain dumping.  It depicts a powerful image of a brown pelican 
being force fed paint thinner, thus emphasizing the critical link between human waste and impacts 
to wildlife.

The poster is available in both Spanish and English to business, schools and other concerned 
groups, by calling the Sanctuary Office (831) 647-4201.

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary encompasses over 5300 square miles, stretching 
along the Central California coastline from Marin County in the north to San Luis Obispo County 
in the south.  This proximity to the coast makes the Sanctuary vulnerable to pollution problems 
from eleven different watersheds which drain to it.  Recognizing that water quality is a key to 
ensuring protection for all Sanctuary resources, twenty-seven federal, state, and local agencies are 
working together to develop a comprehensive Water Quality Protection Program to enhance and 
protect the Sanctuary's physical, chemical and biological conditions.

For more information on the Sanctuaryês education program, please contact:  Kip Evans, Water 
Quality Education Coordinator, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, 299 Foam Street, Suite 
D, Monterey, CA  93940, (831) 647-4217.