St. Johns River Water Management District

News Release

nr09-059

Volunteers to mark storm drains in Brevard and Indian River counties

PALM BAY, Fla., Sept. 8, 2009 - The St. Johns River Water Management District's Watershed Action Volunteer (WAV) Program is seeking volunteers to mark storm drains in Brevard and Indian River counties in the coming weeks.

The marked storm drains remind residents that pollutants in stormwater runoff may contain sediment, debris and harmful chemicals that can quickly be transported to local waterways, such as the Indian River Lagoon.

"So far, volunteers have marked 267 storm drains in Cocoa, including the downtown area," said Jose Artigas, WAV coordinator for Brevard and Indian River counties. "Volunteers will continue providing storm drain marking programs for the city throughout the fall."

Other planned drain marking projects will be conducted in Melbourne, Cocoa Beach and elsewhere throughout Brevard and Indian River counties, Artigas added.

The District established the WAV Program to give residents the opportunity to personally help their communities and protect local waterways. WAV is active in 14 counties within the District's 18-county service area. It matches committed individuals with WAV coordinators, who train and equip volunteers for a variety of important tasks so that volunteers can help make a difference in their communities.

Contact Artigas at (386) 290-5316 about the upcoming storm drain marking project or visit www.sjrwmd.com/education/wav/about.html for more information about the WAV Program.

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