Upstream Project - Story

Worked to create a non-fiction story highlighting Eugene locals Kathy Eva, and Rae Matagora, and their mission to raise awareness about pollution to our local water and community.

This story is about the damage of storm drain pollution and the people in our community who are trying to inspire others to care. To help tell this story I interviewed two women: Kathy Eva, a storm drain pollution expert, and Rae Matagora, a local artist and activist.

“Rae Matagora gets up early and hustles down to her assigned storm drain. Her painting supplies are in her backpack and secured to the cab of her Vespa. The storm drain is about to be transformed—covered in illustrations of cartoony fish and happy children.

Matagora is one artist working on the Upstream project. Upstream aims to spread awareness about storm drain pollution. This is when debris, litter, and toxins from the road get collected by rain, and washed down storm drains. In Eugene, these storm drains lead directly to the rivers and lakes, with no filtering. The rivers and lakes are a source of drinking water and recreation, so it’s important they are kept clean. Upstream uses local artists to paint attention-grabbing murals on storm drains to bring attention to the issue. The hope is that with education, people can limit their contribution.

Collaborating with Matagora is Kathy Eva. Eva is a storm drain pollution specialist working with Upstream to spread awareness and help Eugene keep the water clean. “We reach out to everyone in the community and help them feel a connection,” she says. The current water crisis is huge and making people feel a connection is the only way to help make a change. They also placed the locations of the murals near community centers like schools to draw the most attention to them.

According to Eva, most people don’t know things like lawn fertilizers, or soap from washing cars can harm waterways when they go down the drain. Like many locals in Eugene, Matagora spent her summers swimming in rivers and lakes and appreciates the need to protect them. “I wanted my viewer to see the beautiful places I grew up, with all the salamanders and ducks.” She says. The obstacle is not only to make people aware of pollution but to get them to care too. Upstream hopes that by making art, they will inspire the community to care about this water crisis.

As Matagora finishes her mural, passersby crowd around to get a look. This is the engagement and awareness Upstream hopes to achieve. Like Matagora says, it’s important to get people engaged because “We get to enjoy beautiful moments [in nature] and we need to preserve it.” The Upstream project has been engaging the community for eight years and will continue. It’s important to keep our planet healthy and every bit counts.”