"The Creek Reeks" and sixth grader Kelly Cross is helping to spread the word to fix it.

The Broad Street School student won a poster contest this month designed to raise awareness about the city's waterways.

The contest was sponsored by Gray-Warnick Engineering on behalf of the city of Butler.

Gray-Warnick is the city's municipal engineer.

The contest was part of a public outreach about pollution and was linked to the city's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit.

NPDES permits are required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Water Act when a city's storm water travels through a conveyance system such as a storm sewer or ditch or when it discharges from a discreet point into waters of the United States.

Fourth, fifth and sixth graders from schools in the city competed.

Cross' poster was chosen from between 400 and 500 submissions, said Kurt Vines of Gray-Warnick.

When reflecting on how she came up with the catchy slogan that caught the attention of judges, the sixth-grade student said, "I just thought it up."

Cross also said her poster design was inspired by the environment around her home, since she lives near a creek that contains a shopping cart and other debris.

Cross is the daughter of Jerry Cross of Clay Township and Dee Cross of Butler