ANN ARBOR—A group of University of Michigan students will participate in an environmental awareness project to educate people about the need to protect the Huron River from pollutants in storm water runoff from campus. On Sunday (Nov. 2), weather permitting, the students will stencil a message next to storm water drains on North Campus that advises people not to dump waste into the storm water system. They will concentrate on the parking lots near Bursley, Baits and Northwood housing. Similar projects have been used successfully across the country to remind citizens that storm systems empty directly into rivers and lakes.

The U-M Department of Occupational Safety and Environmental Health (OSEH) is providing the students with direction and guidance, as well as the needed supplies for stenciling the message “Dump No Waste–Keep Our Michigan Waters Blue” onto curbs adjacent to drains where people may illegally dump waste. The storm water system flows directly to the Huron River, so anything placed in the drain will end up there without being treated first. “Our goal is to stencil 60 drains on North Campus this weekend,” said Terry Alexander, environmental programs manager for OSEH. “This is an excellent way for students to become involved with environmental issues on campus. We hope that more students will be interested and that we’ll be able to launch an even larger effort in the spring.”

OSEH is also working with the U-M School of Natural Resources and Environment in developing a storm water education project aimed at faculty, staff, students and visitors. This will be a program that can be implemented in phases over the next year. It will use various media to get the message out to the campus community. If you are interested in becoming involved in the storm water stenciling project or have questions about the University’s pollution prevention programs, contact OSEH at 647-1143.

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