Stormwater Week 2023

Stormwater Week 2023 will be September 24 thru 30.  The Fort Mill Stormwater Department will have fun activities throughout the week for Town of Fort Mill residents to enjoy while learning about the importance of Stormwater!  

Contests will be open from September 24 to October 14, including: 

• Stormwater Geocaching
• Stormwater Selfie Challenge
• Where the Duck? Photo Scavenger Hunt 
• Stormwater Mural Seek & Find Challenge
• Stormwater Yoga at the Fort Mill Community Center (1011 Talbot Drive) with  Movement, Mindfulness & Me

Stormwater Geocaching

There will be five geocaches placed around Town for you to find!  Clues will be posted on the Town's social media as well as on geocaching.com.  Find all five geocaches to win a small prize from Fort Mill Stormwater.  Everyone who completes the series will also be eligible to win a grand prize pack (winner will be notified October 20).   Download your Geocaching Passport or stop by Town Hall (200 Tom Hall Street) to pick one up! You'll find them on the front desk, under the Town Seal. 

Families, there are three caches within a short walk of each other (about 1.25 round trip) and it is mostly stroller friendly! There is one cache where you go off the trail just a bit.   Have fun and don't forget to let us know when you find them all!   The two new ones are located at Banks Athletic Park and are also family & stroller friendly!

Down by the River(rock) coordinates: N 35° 00.568 W 080° 56.993

Welcome to the Town of Fort Mill Stormwater Department's geocache trail!  First up is a cache in Walter Elisha Park.  This cache is located in an area that is designed to help with the flow of water in the park.  Stormwater is any water that falls from the sky.  What we leave on the ground can end up in our waterways--remember, stormwater doesn't get cleaned or treated before it flows to the closest stream.  

Stormwater isn't Tree-ted coordinates: N 35° 00.470 W 080° 57.245

Did you know that stormwater isn't cleaned or treated?  It goes straight from the storm drain into the closest creek or body of water!  Water that hit the pavement in the parking lot went into a storm drain and then flowed right into this creek!  You'll have to leave the beaten path for this one and find yourself an Ent friend (you can tell this old girl has had a rough life but she's still standing tall!).  

Let me tele-you about Stormwater! coordinates: N 35° 00.358 W 080° 57.509

The Town of Fort Mill is part of the Catawba River watershed.  That means all the stormwater that flows into our creeks eventually makes its way to the Catawba River (and after that--the ocean!).  This cache is located close to Dye Branch Creek.  The stormwater from Walter Elisha Park flows into a small tributary that makes its way to this creek.  Dye Branch flows to the Catawba. 

No Mr. Pond, I expect you to dry coordinates: N 34° 58.175 W 080° 56.807

This cache is located in the new Banks Athletic Park.  You'll find this cache just hanging out, trying to catch a baseball game and watching the dry stormwater pond.  Pond, Dry Pond, to you.  Stormwater ponds can be wet or dry but both do the same job--slowing water down to help prevent pollution entering the creek and also keeping a rush of water entering the creek--which can lead to erosion of the banks!  This pond should be dry (unless there has been a storm within the last three days).  

No time to dry  coordinates: N 34° 58.212 W 080° 56.971

Now here at the creek, this is where the water will flow year round.  All the stormwater runoff from the park and the neighborhood ends up in this creek--which makes its way to the Catawba River.   Stormwater runoff will pick up trash, pollution like oil leaks from cars, fertilizer and even dirt (yes, dirt can pollute creeks!).  Do you see any evidence of these pollutants in the area?  You won't have to leave the sidewalk for this one, but as you look over the bridge at the creek, think about how we can all help keep our waterways clean! 

Remember, help keep trash and debris out of our creeks and waterways by putting trash where it belongs--in the trash can (or recycling bin!) but never in our storm drains.

Stormwater Selfie Challenge

Join us in the Stormwater Selfie Challenge!  Post your photos and tag us the Fort Mill Stormwater Department using the hashtag #FMSWSelfie so we can find your posts!  Selfies can be individual or group (or you can just take cute pictures of your pet completing the challenges!)

Everyone who completes the challenge will win a prize from Fort Mill Stormwater and each completed entry will be eligible for the grand prize!  When you complete all the challenges, email Mina at mmacdonald@fortmillsc.gov to confirm your posts!

Stop by the Front Desk at Town Hall to pick up your Selfie Challenge Card or download it here.  Physical cards will be available in mid-September. 

Drippy Yoga video can be found on our Fort Mill Stormwater Facebook page!

Where the Duck? Photo Scavenger Hunt

Each day during Stormwater Week, we will post on Facebook a photo of our Stormwater rubber ducky at a different location around town.  See if you can figure out where the Duck is and tell us your guess!  Like and share the image to be included in the prize drawing! Bonus points for anyone who goes to the location and takes a selfie of their own!  

Mural Seek & Find Challenge

If you haven't already checked out our Stormwater Education Mural in Kingsley, now is your chance!  Take part in our Mural Seek & Find Challenge to be entered to win a stormwater prize pack!  Did you know the Stormwater Mural is home to nearly 140 animals?  Just like our shared watershed, a lot of critters call this area  home.  See how many you can find when you visit the mural!  From July through mid-October, complete the seek & find to be entered to win a Town of Fort Mill prize pack!  Winner will be chosen from all submittals on October 16th, 2023 at the end of Stormwater Week.

Community Stormwater Yoga Event

Join us on Saturday, September 30th at 11am at the Fort Mill Community Center (formerly Banks Street Gym)  for a FREE family-friendly yoga class.  Instruction will be provided by Movement, Mindfulness and Me and will be structured for folks of all ages and abilities.  Kids and grown ups welcome! Address: 1011 Talbot Drive Fort Mill (next to Fort Mill Golf)