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Yellow Fish Road Program
What is the Yellow Fish RoadTM (YFR) Program?
Yellow Fish Road is a program in which local youth paint yellow fish symbols by the storm sewer catch basins (the places along the roadways where rainwater and melting snow collect). The yellow fish symbolize the animals in the environment where this melted snow and rainwater eventually end up.
The volunteers paint these yellow fish symbols beside the storm drains to encourage people not to dump hazardous household wastes down these curbside drains. Each year, an estimated 85 youth from Camrose and surrounding area paint the fish on the storm drains of approximately half of the City's residential areas.
In addition to painting near the storm drains, the volunteers distribute fish-shaped hangers on door knobs throughout the community, which contain information on the program and the effects of careless disposal of goods on the local water supply.
Why are we doing this?
We all need to protect our environment. Allowing harmful chemicals to enter the natural habitat of fish and wildlife can be devastating to the ecosystem. As stewards of the environment, we can take positive action to protecting our parks, rivers and lakes.
The water that goes down the storm sewer catch basins is not treated by any physical, chemical or biological means before it ends up in our environment. This means that oil, paints and other harmful chemicals that are put into the catch basins in Camrose (whether deliberately or through accidental spills) go directly into the nearby Camrose Creek. This creek empties into Dried Meat Lake, the source of drinking water for Camrose and Bittern Lake, as well as many other municipalities downstream.
How did the Yellow Fish Road Program start?
The Yellow Fish Road Program began in 1991 and was created by Calgary based Trout Unlimited Canada. Since then, the program has grown to include over 180 communities in Canada, as well as a number of municipalities in Australia. The Yellow Fish Road Program in Camrose is being put on with the coordination of the City of Camrose Engineering Department.
Event Information
This program runs in May and June every year. It involves students from various schools throughout Camrose, University students and volunteer groups like Girl Guides and Scouts. These groups cover a subset of the zones in one year, with all of the zones covered within a period of years. See the map for all zones that can be covered.
How can you do your part?
See this list of safe alternatives to hazardous wastes and safety guidelines for using hazardous wastes.
Useful Links
Trout Unlimited Canada
Yellow Fish Road Australia
Aqua Venturer
Water For Life
For more information about this program or to see what you can contribute please contact Vicki Cole at the City of Camrose Engineering Department (780) 672-4428