Graffiti removal below the Gardner Falls Hydroelectric Diversion Dam
Taking inventory of the extent of graffiti to assess the cleanup needs.
Compare this to the next two photos.
The Deerfield River Watershed Association Board members gathered in May 2022, on the Town of Buckland side of the Deerfield River to complete a second extensive graffiti removal project. This site is also one of the Deerfield River’s very popular locations for fishing, picnicking, and swimming. Over the years, people had defaced many of the beautiful river rocks below the hydropower diversion dam. It took a lot of experimentation, but we finally figured out how to remove most of the graffiti paint without damaging the rocks. This paint was difficult to remove as it was older and more hardened than the fresher graffiti we had removed in 2020 from the Town of Shelburne side of the river.
During removal
After
We removed a lot of graffiti in a lot of locations. In many locations, it would now be difficult for river users to detect that the rocks had ever been painted. However, our work was not always perfect. Some stone is more porous than others and it can be difficult to remove some of the deeply embedded and aged paint and its pigment. In some locations, the paint layer was decreased by only about 90%, leaving it more susceptible to further degradation by the sun, weather, and fungi.
Volunteers experimented with paint removal techniques until eventually finding an effective technique for removing paint from native stone. A nontoxic paint stripper, time, and hard work with a wire brush seemed to work the best.
Another example of BEFORE
A member of the public walked by and expressed her great appreciation for the project and pointed out another area down the road with insulting and satanic graffiti that she would like to see removed. We got right on it!
It took a lot of hard brushing in several directions with a wire brush.
REALLY hard brushing!
And AFTER
AFTER
The old saying, “Leave it better than you found it.” rings true here.
The Deerfield River Watershed Association is working to help keep our rivers beautiful.