Kalamazoo
Conservation
District

MEDIA RELEASE
July 16, 1998

Woods Lake Association Storm Sewer Stencil Project

Volunteers from the Woods Lake Association in Kalamazoo will stencil neighborhood storm drains on Saturday, July 18th to remind everyone that the neighborhood's storm sewer inlets drain directly into Woods Lake. In a project sponsored by the Woods Lake Association and the Davis Creek Watershed Project, local volunteers will stencil a picture of a fish along with the reminder to " DUMP NO WASTE - DRAINS TO LAKE." Volunteers will also distribute literature to residents describing what they are doing and why. Marc Elliott, Director of the Davis Creek Watershed Project, a federal Clean Water Initiative, says, "Many people don't realize that roadway, driveway and parking lot storm sewers discharge runoff directly into the Lake. It is not directed to a treatment plant like the sanitary sewer lines coming out of our homes. This project and hundreds like it around the nation are designed to help average citizens understand their role in preventing urban water pollution."

Assisting the neighborhood residents will be local Boy Scout Troop 286. Scout Master Tom Wolfe says, "This is the second time our troop has participated in a storm sewer stencil project. It's a fun activity for the kids, a learning exercise, and helps enforce a positive change in peoples' attitudes towards protecting watersheds. Our parents are learning as much as the Boy Scouts from this project. It was news to many of us that storm sewer discharges are not treated before they go into our lakes and streams."

Last fall the Kalamazoo City Council approved a request of the Davis Creek Steering Committee to stencil watershed awareness information in the Milwood Neighborhood which drains to Davis Creek. The Davis Creek Watershed Project was the first storm sewer stencil effort in the County. The Davis Creek Project is one of the first urban watershed, nonpoint source programs supported by the state. The success of Davis Creek is being used by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality as a model for similar watershed protection efforts.

The City is excited to see the Woods Lake neighborhood become involved in watershed stewardship activities. Richard Skalski, Senior Construction Engineer with the City said, "In recent years, the City has begun looking at watershed management as a necessary tool for maintaining water quality. Woods Lake in particular has been a concern because of the City Park on the lake and because of strong riparian interest. Storm water runoff and nutrient loading is a large part of the problem. It's even been suggested that last year's beach closing resulted from a 'first flush" rainfall runoff of accumulated pet and waterfowl waste from area storm sewers throughout the watershed."

Actions which the Woods Lake Association and the Davis Creek Project recommend we all take to minimize the pollution that drains into our streams and lakes are:

  1. Remember that storm sewers discharge directly into a nearby body of water-the same water you swim in, fish from and enjoy for the natural habitat it supports.
  2. Remember that the water we drink is also fed by storm water.
  3. Soil erosion and sedimentation degrades more lakes and streams in Michigan than any other source of water pollution. Storm sewers are a major pathway for soil and sand to enter our waters.
  4. Nutrients are the second major pollutant. Use lawn & garden chemicals sparingly. Test your soil and use only the minimum amount needed. Do not let lawn chemicals fall onto paved surfaces which drain to streets and storm sewers.
  5. Wash your car over grass or take it to a commercial car wash. Grass will capture dirty wash water and reduce the contaminated runoff from getting into storm sewers.
  6. Pick up your pet's poop. A pet "septic" system can be built by burying in your backyard a plastic bucket with holes, or dispose down the toilet or with other organic solid waste.
  7. Compost your leaves and lawn clippings well away from sewer inlets and stream banks. Leaves, lawn clippings and other debris, though natural, will significantly contribute to water pollution.
  8. Maintain a natural, woody vegetation buffer strip along the edge of lakes and streams. Thick vegetation intercepts surface runoff and helps remove many pollutants carried by storm water runoff. Woody plants have complex root structures which hold soil. Overhanging vegetation provides shade and shelter for fish, and food from falling insets. Shade also maintains cooler water temperatures which is important for the survival of many fish species.
  9. Report illegal dumping and document it with photographs or videos.

Additional stencil volunteers should call 337-7382 if you wish to participate. This project is one of many tasks being undertaken to fulfill the mission of the Davis Creek Watershed Project, which is to improve the water quality and the environmental health of Davis Creek and the Kalamazoo River by severely reducing the pollution and erosion from runoff within the watershed. Education, Action and Environmental Cleanup are our goals by involving the diverse urban and rural landowners in improving the quality of life for people, wildlife and the community.

The Davis Creek Watershed Project is being conducted as a partnership of the Kalamazoo Conservation District, The Forum for Kalamazoo County and a dozen other partners. Substantial funding is provided by a federal clean water act grant through the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. For more information on the project or on how you may be able to get involved in watershed stewardship, contact Marc Elliott of the River Partners Program at (616) 337-7382.

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