Local Boy Scout Michael Barron recently completed his Eagle Scout project which protects the environment by warning people about dumping material into storm drains.

The basis of his project was attaching rubber markers on storm drains at every school and park in the county, warning readers that each drain ultimately leads to a stream or river and not to a treatment plant. The project was funded by the Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority (WSA).

“It’s a common misconception that storm drains lead to treatment plants,” said Barbara Williams of WSA. “Just because it has a manhole, doesn’t mean it runs into the sewer system. In reality, storm drains discharge directly into natural streams.”

Williams said records kept by Barron will be included in official WSA records as the only data in the county with locations of the storm drains and markers.

“A key component to the project was that I organized and spearheaded the entire project myself,” Barron said. “It was a lot of work, but I’m glad I got to do something for the community where I grew up.”

He said readers interested in learning more about proper waste disposal options can visit the Georgia Pollution Prevention Assistance Division or the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Web site, www.p2ad.org. (Contributed article)