Most storm drains don't flow to sewage treatment facilities, but feed into local creeks, streams and rivers instead. So what goes down those drains is important to the health of those nearby waterways.

The emphasis on getting the rainwater runoff message out to young people was not surprising, observed Russian River Watershed Association chairman Jake MacKenzie of Rohnert Park. A recent precedent showed how effective that approach can be.

Possibly the biggest challenge facing this new outreach campaign, says Russian Riverkeeper Don McEnhill, is overcoming the widespread casual denial about what actually happens to the water that disappears down the storm drains.