PLEDGE NOW

Great Schools, Clean Streams

The 2024 Great Schools, Clean Streams Contest has closed.
Congratulations to this year’s winning schools!

This year, 12,470 New Castle County residents pledged to keep New Castle County’s water clean, over 30% more than 2023!

Schools with 600+ students

First Place ($1,500 award): Newark Charter School – 1,137 pledges
Second Place ($1,000 award): Brandywine Springs School – 1,028 pledges
Third Place ($750 award): Christ the Teacher Catholic School – 398 pledges

Schools with 200-599 students

First Place ($1,500 award): Olive B. Loss Elementary School – 1,632 pledges
Second Place ($1,000 award): Crystal Run Elementary School – 1,181pledges
Third Place ($750 award): Brader Elementary School – 457 pledges

Schools with fewer than 200 students

1st Place ($1,500 award): Saint Anthony of Padua Grade School – 525 pledges
2nd Place ($1,000 award): St. Peter the Apostle Catholic School – 425 pledges
3rd Place ($750 award): St. Anne’s Episcopal School – 337 pledges

21 Schools with 50+ pledges chosen at random for $250 Wild Card Prize

West Park Place Elementary School
Conrad Schools of Science
MOT Charter School
Pilot School
Ursuline Academy
Mount Pleasant Elementary School
Cab Calloway School of the Arts

Las Americas ASPIRA Academy
Tatnall School
Forwood Elementary School
The Independence School
Odyssey Charter School
Springer Middle School
McKean High School

Skyline Middle School
McVey Elementary School
First State Montessori Academy
St. Elizabeth School
Holy Angels Elementary School
Padua Academy
Caravel Academy

The Great Schools, Clean Streams contest will return in 2025!
Need a reminder? Enter your email below:

Great Schools, Clean Streams FAQ

Find out more about how the contest works and what your school could win!

What is Great Schools, Clean Streams?

Great Schools, Clean Streams is a public service campaign to reduce water pollution in New Castle County, Delaware. Residents pledge to follow five simple steps and assign their pledge to a county school. Schools that collect the most pledges win cash prizes they can use to purchase educational materials or to support school projects.

Who is eligible to take the pledge and assign it to a school?

Anyone aged 18 and over, may take the pledge, accept the terms and conditions, and assign the pledge to a New Castle County school. There is a limit of one pledge per email address.

Can teachers, school staff and school board employees take the pledge?

Yes, anyone aged 18 and over, may take the pledge online and assign the pledge to a New Castle County school (including teachers, school staff and school board employees). There is a limit of one pledge per email address.

Can students under the age of 18 take the pledge?

Yes, those below the age of 18 can take the pledge by signing a poster displayed at their school. Schools can download the poster from this page.

To protect the privacy of minors, we do not collect electronic signatures from anyone under the age of 18.

Can New Castle County employees take the pledge?

Yes, anyone aged 18 and over, may take the pledge and assign the pledge to a New Castle County school. There is a limit of one pledge per email address.

What kind of schools are eligible to win the prizes?

All public, charter, private or parochial schools in New Castle County offering classes between Kindergarten and the 12th grade are eligible to receive the prizes, if they are among the top pledge recipients.

How do schools win the prizes?

Between February 26th and March 15th 2024, residents will pledge to follow five simple steps to prevent water pollution: Scoop the Poop, Garden for Water and Life, Only Rain Down the Drain, Reduce Household Chemicals, and Cease the Grease. When they pledge, they can designate their pledge to any public, charter, or private school in New Castle County, DE. The nine schools that receive the most designated pledges in their tier will win cash prizes. Twenty-one schools that collect 50 or more pledges will be entered into a drawing for a “wild card” prize of $250.

To help schools secure pledges, we have created a sample backpack flier and poster. Schools can download these from the School Resources page.

What are the prizes and what can the schools do with them?

Schools will compete in one of three tiers, based on their enrollment:

Tier 1: 600+ students
Tier 2: 300 to 599 students
Tier 3: 1-299 students

The Sponsor will award cash prizes to the winning schools in each tier as follows:

First Place: $1,500
Second Place: $1,000
Third Place: $750

All schools that either participate in the student poster pledge or receive 50 or more pledges will be entered into a drawing for a “wild card” prize of $250. (21 winners)

Can we encourage parents of our students to pledge and designate our school?

Yes! We have resources to help you – check out the toolkit.

What if my school is not on the list?

If the school you would like to assign your pledge to is not on the list (and it is a Public, Charter, Private or Parochial school located in New Castle County Delaware), please contact us at greatschoolscleanstreams@gmail.com or phone (302) 395-5707 to add the school.

Clean Stream Water - Reduce Hazardous Chemicals

Reduce Household Chemicals

What goes down our kitchen or bathroom drains can end up in the water that we drink or play in. Sewage treatment plants can remove many, but not all, chemicals that go down our toilets or sinks – and we all pay for this costly treatment. Chemical cleaners, medications, paint, and lawn chemicals are common pollutants that can pass through treatment and end up in our waterways.

Whenever possible, buy products that are free of toxic chemicals. Read the label and choose the least hazardous product to do the job. The words “warning”, “danger”, and “poison” indicate that the product’s ingredients are harmful so try to avoid. Try to select products that are made from plant-based materials, such as citrus, vegetable or pine oils.

What you can do:

Spy before you buy: Read the label – products labeled hazardous, toxic, or caustic are harmful. Follow instructions to use the correct amount of a product – you won’t get twice the results by using twice as much. Only buy what you need for the job you’re working on.
Simply soap: Avoid using antibacterial soaps and soaps with microbeads.
Cleaner cleaning: Choose non-hazardous products when you can. Lemon juice, vinegar, hot water, borax, soap and baking soda are good alternatives to harsh chemical cleansers – and less expensive, too!
Danger free disposal: Properly dispose of leftover medication and hazardous household products. Instead of dumping medication down the drain, DE residents can dispose of medications here. Hazardous household waste can be disposed of here.

Clean Stream Water - Only Rain Down The Drain

Only Rain Down the Storm Drain

What washes down storm drains goes straight into our streams and rivers. Rainwater runs over our yards, parking lots, and roads picking up pollutants like trash, oil, lawn chemicals, and soil before flowing into storm drains. Water in storm drains eventually lands (untreated) into our ponds and waterways and is a major source of pollution in New Castle County’s drinking water and waterways.

Runoff can be contaminated and also causes flooding. Before our region was developed, most of the land was covered in forests, wetlands and marshes. When it rained, most of the rainwater would slowly soak into the ground. Because our landscape now includes homes, businesses and shopping centers, rainwater can’t soak through hard surfaces such as roads and parking lots but instead runs quickly over these surfaces and causes flooding.

What can you do:

Soak up spills: Clean up oil and other car fluid spills or leaks. Don’t let them come in contact with rainwater.
Scoop the Poop
Contain what goes down the storm drain: Keep grass clippings, leaves, litter, fertilizer, mulch and loose soil off hard surfaces to keep everything other than water out of the storm drains. Place yard waste for collection in approved containers or mulch and rake into the grass strip between the curb and sidewalk.
Wash your wheels wisely: Wash your car on the lawn or use a commercial car wash that recycles water.
Slow the flow: Reduce excess water running off your property into storm drains. Direct downspouts onto your lawn or garden, plant and maintain a rain garden, and/or install a rain barrel to collect and use rain water.

If you live in a community, you can also make a difference by:

Making sure your stormwater management facilities are maintained properly.

Dumping harmful pollutants, such as motor oil, into storm drains is illegal. New Castle County residents should report any pollution going into or out of the storm sewer system by contacting the pollution hotline at:

Call or text 302STOPPIT (302.786.7748), or write hotline@302stoppit.org

Learn more: www.302stoppit.org/home

City of Newark:

City of Newark Pollution Hotline: 302-366-7000
City of Newark residents can report spills and learn more at: Reporting Spills: NPDES-Stormwater-Program

Clean Stream Water - Garden for Water & Life

Garden for Water and Life

You can have a beautiful – and safe – yard without harmful chemicals. Most yard chemicals, including herbicides, fertilizers and pesticides aren’t needed and pollute the waters that we rely upon for drinking and for recreation. These chemicals can be toxic to our families, pets and the birds and butterflies that live in our yards.

Gardening with native plants – plants that originated in this area – supports both water and wildlife. These plants thrive in our climate and are easy to grow and care for without using extra water or chemicals. Native trees, shrubs and plants improve water quality by filtering pollutants and help to absorb excess water with their deep roots. Plus, their seeds, berries and leaves are great food for birds, butterflies and pollinating insects.

What you can do:

Let Liveable Lawns guide your lawn care practices: Leave your grass clippings, test your soil and fertilize only in the fall if the soil test recommend it.
Create a ‘Chemical-free Zone’: Don’t use herbicides and pesticides. Avoid applying chemicals within 20 ft. of waterways or next to or on paved surfaces.
Predators instead of pesticides: Natural solutions such as attracting predators (birds, dragonflies, toads) and manually removing pests is usually more effective and always safer than pesticides that harm bees, butterflies and songbirds.
Welcome wildlife: Turn your yard into a Certified Wildlife Habitat by providing food, shelter, water, and places to raise young.
Nature needs natives: Attract birds, butterflies and other beneficial insects by planting native plants. (NPS link)

If you don’t have a yard, you can still make a difference:

Participate in a local tree planting or restoration project
Volunteer to help maintain a community or school garden

Scoop the Poop

Help stop Poo-llution and keep harmful bacteria out of our waters. Picking up after your pet is a simple way to keep pollution out of our waterways while keeping our parks, neighborhoods and yards clean.

There are over 110,000* dogs in New Castle County generating approximately 41 tons* of poop daily. It’s the same as untreated sewage washing into our waters!

An average size dog dropping can contain 3 billion harmful bacteria. Rain washes these bacteria and nutrients into our streams, rivers and beaches which can make water unsafe for swimming and recreation.

What you can do:

Scoop the poop: Every time. Use bio-degradable bags or re-use old plastic bags and dispose of it in the trash.
Keep your poop bags handy: Near your dog leash, by the door, or in your car.
Scoop before it rains: Don’t wait.

If you don’t have a dog, you can still make a difference:

If you have your own septic system: Pump your tank at least every three years.
Prevent extra poop: Avoid feeding ducks or geese. Feeding discourages migration and when birds don’t migrate, their poop becomes an all-year problem.

* Estimate based on 34% of households owning 1.6 dogs (American Veterinary Medical Assoc) x 200,000 NCC households (US Census 2013-17) x .75 lbs waste/dog

Great Schools, Clean Streams

The 2024 Great Schools, Clean Streams Contest has closed. Congratulations to this year’s winning schools!

The Great Schools, Clean Streams contest will return in 2025! Need a reminder? Enter your email below:

Great Schools, Clean Streams FAQ

The 2024 Great Schools, Clean Streams Contest has closed.
Congratulations to this year’s winning schools!

The Great Schools, Clean Streams contest will return in 2025!
Need a reminder? Enter your email below: