GENESEO — Two SUNY Geneseo geology students appeared in front of the Geneseo Village Board of Trustees Monday to ask for help on a project that would alert the public not to dump waste into drains.
Students Melanie and Jordan spoke to the Board about the “Drains to Streams” program they, and the class before them, have been working on.
Their goal is to raise awareness of the storm drains and the fact that they lead to the Genesee River, which can become contaminated when people dispose of waste, such as oil, in them. The class of seven wishes to label at least some of the drop inlets in the village and college campus with decals or paint urging people not to dump waste into them.
“We want to get door tags to bring awareness to the labels on the storm drains and explain what they mean and why they’re there,” said Melanie.
Jordan added that some people dump oil and fertilizer in the drains, which can then contaminate the watershed.
They estimated that 3,000 door tags would be sufficient for the village and college.
The Board decided to explore some of the more permanent labeling options and get back in contact with the students at a later date.