BLACKSBURG (WSLS 10) -- You may not know it driving down Main Street, but water flows beneath the streets of Blacksburg.
"Underneath the streets of Blacksburg there are tributaries of Stroubles Creek," explained Sustainability Manager Carol Davis. "When the town was first developed in the late 1700s, that was where the settlement developed."
Stroubles Creek runs under Main Street, under the drill field at Virginia Tech and ultimately to the New River.
"Over time, those waterways have been covered over and they're pretty invisible to us, but there are spots all throughout town where you can glimpse of peak of Stroubles Creek and its tributaries," continued Davis.
It provided Blacksburg with fresh drinking water for more than 150 years and the town is now working to restore and maintain it through art and education.
"It's sort of an Easter egg hunt," Davis explained. "There will be a map and you can work with your kids or kids of all ages can go searching for all 16 frog scattered throughout the town."
The 16 Frogs project is the brainchild of Vice Mayor Leslie Hager-Smith who was inspired by a similar project in South Carolina, according to Davis.
It's described as a public arts project with a social conscience, include 16 life-sized bronze frogs strategically placed around town along the watershed and within the 16 block grid laid out by William Black that formed when Blacksburg was founded in 1798. Some will rest on casts of Virginia's native water-lily. They range in size from 6 to 12 inches and will sit on pavement, knee walls, stormwater drains or sills.
"Looking at the intersections where the stream is present either visibly or invisibly underneath the streets that also have an important intersection with The town's history."
Signs will be placed near the statuettes with an explanation of the significance of the location. The goal is to draw attention to the freshwater history and community heritage as well as what everyone who lives or visits can do to preserve and improve water quality.
The first frog statue will be placed outside the Lyric Theater during Sustainability Week, September 18.