AIKEN --- When the city's Public Works Department announced in the spring its plan to install markers on storm drains warning people not to dump debris, Bob Baris wanted to help.
"Here in our neighborhood, I knew ... (neighbors) told me outright they were dumping stuff in the storm drains," said Mr. Baris, a New York native who volunteered his time to help city workers place 2,000 seals on storm drains around the city.
"When I walk in the morning, I find (the storm drains), mark them and go back and put (the markers) on," he said, crediting his desire to help the environment to when he was a boy growing up in the Bronx borough of New York. "We were always conscious of keeping the streets clean because we were playing stickball in the streets."
About 500 markers have been placed around the city since spring.
Currently, the storm drain labels are not required, but Tim Bledsoe, an engineer with Public Works who oversees the city's storm drain projects, said the markers are "a good housekeeping step just to make sure in the future we don't have a problem" with surface water pollution.
The round markers -- sporting two fish and the warning "No Dumping. Drains To Stream" -- are part of an effort to increase public awareness about the danger of disposing pollutants in storm drains.
"We feel it's necessary to educate the public about the dangers of what could happen," Mr. Bledsoe said.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, more than 50 percent of surface water pollution comes from storm drains.
In Aiken, no streams are in violation of the total maximum daily load -- "the maximum amount of a pollutant that a body of water can receive while still meeting water quality standards."
Standing on a storm drain in the Sandstone subdivision behind Aiken Mall, Mr. Bledsoe said illegally dumping things such as used motor oil in storm drains is more of a concern in "out-of-the-way areas" than in residential locations where someone is more likely to notice.
"People assume that this water goes into the sanitation sewer," he said, pointing to the leaf-clogged storm drain. "It doesn't. This water is not filtered or treated in any way, and it eventually goes into the nearest creek."
Reach Michelle Guffey at (803) 648-1395, ext. 110, or michelle.guffey@augustachronicle.com.
ANY VOLUNTEERS?
Anyone interested in volunteering can contact the Public Works Department at (803) 642-7610.
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