In celebration of Earth Day, New York State Environmental Facilities Corp. (EFC) Acting President Matthew J. Millea and city of Albany Mayor Gerald D. Jennings kicked off a storm drain marking event on North Pearl Street in downtown Albany, N.Y.

Millea and Jennings marked the first storm drain at the corner of North Pearl and Orange streets with a brightly colored plastic medallion that reads “Don’t Dump: Drains to Hudson River.” A group of 20 volunteers from EFC and the State Department of Environmental Conservation then continued South to mark an additional 30 drains and provide pamphlets about pollution prevention and the storm drain markers to local businesses.

“As members of the downtown Albany business community, EFC is thrilled to celebrate Earth Day with Mayor Jennings and help to bring attention to the city of Albany’s ongoing efforts to protect and improve the water quality of the Hudson River,” said Millea. “Our message for Earth Day 2008 is that storm drains should not be used as trash receptacles; litter and other pollutants thrown down these drains end up in our waterways, harming plant life, fish and our state’s precious drinking water resources.”

"The simple act of marking the city's storm drains helps to remind everyone that water and other materials going into our catch basins end up in our rivers and streams," said Jennings. "In addition, now that the weather is warmer, many of us are using fertilizers to make our lawns green. Unfortunately, when fertilizer ends up in the catch basins--and eventually the rivers and streams--it promotes the growth of algae and plant life in those water bodies, depleting oxygen needed for aquatic life. So, the marking of catch basins can have major ramifications for our overall environment and help to preserve the wonderful Hudson River and other streams we are blessed with in the Capital District."

EFC coordinated the Earth Day event with the city of Albany, City of Albany Water Department, Albany County Intermunicipal Storm Water Committee and the State Department of Environmental Conservation. The storm drain markers were kindly provided by the Hudson River Estuary Program and the Albany County Intermunicipal Storm Water Committee, with funding support from the the State Environmental Protection Fund.

Source: New York State Environmental Facilities Corp.