Winston Salem Times

As otter enthusiasts around the globe observe World Otter Day, some locals may recall a national competition in March 2021 that brought people together during the pandemic to vote weekly for their river otter mural on a water tank. Citizens across Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, local media, and global otter organizations helped the colorful “w’otter” tank win the Knope National Championship, hosted online by Engaging Local Government Leaders.

“Daybreak Along the River,” painted on the Sides Road tank by DAAS in 2018, is visible to thousands of drivers daily on Peters Creek Parkway in Winston-Salem, just south of Clemmonsville Road. The mural was featured in the 2023 Emmy and Telly Award-winning documentary series “Muraling Austin” and can be viewed at video.austinpbs.org/video/big-bright-bold-bpsutf/.

The vibrant mural of a North American River Otter highlights local water resources and native flora and fauna, emphasizing their importance to the community. Otters are native to the Yadkin River, which serves as the main source of water for the region.

An interview with DAAS and a time-lapse video of the otter mural painting process can be found on the WSFC Utilities playlist at youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrCzyhsoAW_CMThTrodKduQcV5vrhJdTW. Additional videos of the otter mural and more of DAAS's work are available at artist-daas.com.

For information on how tap water meets state and federal standards for drinking water quality, visit cityofws.org/1287/Water-Treatment. The most recent water quality report is accessible at cityofws.org/wqr2023.

For further inquiries, contact CityLink using any method listed on cityofws.org/citylink. Subscribe to Alert Center and News Flash for Utilities updates at cityofws.org/notifyme.